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PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

PURCHASED  BY  THE 
HAMILL  MISSIONARY  FUND 


ii    ^    U  J.    !_)   O      / 


Dawson,  E.  C.  1849-1925 
James  Hannington,  first 
bishop  of  eastern 


James  Hannington 

D.D.,  F.L.S.,  F.R.G.S. 

FIRST  BISHOP  OF  EASTERN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA 


A   HISTORY 

OF    HIS    LIFE    AND    WORK 

1847— 1885 


E.  C.  DAWSON,  M.A.,  Oxon. 

INCUMBENT  OF  ST.   THOMAS'S  CHURCH,  EDINBURGH 


"  Show  me  some  one  person  formed  according  to  the  principles  he  pro/esses.  Show 
me  one  who  is  sick  and  happy ;  in  danger  and  happy  ;  dying  and  happy :  exiled 
and  happy.''"' — Epictetus 


AUTHOR'S   EDITION 
FIRST  AMERICAN  FROM  THE  SIXTH  LONDON  EDITION 


NEW   YORK 
ANSON    D.    F.     RANDOLPH    &    COMPANY 

38   WEST   TWENTY-THIRD    STREET 
1887 


EDWARD   O.    JENKINS'    SONS,    PRINTERS,    STERE0TYPER8,    AND    ELECTR0TYPER8, 
20    NORTH    WILLIAM    STREET,     NEW    YORK. 


TO   HIS  CHILDREN 

THIS  RECORD 
OF 

THEIR   FATHER'S   LIFE   AND   WORK 

IS 
AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


No  apology  is  surely  needed  for  writing  the  life  of 
James  Hannington.  If  it  be  true  that  every  life  which 
has  been  lived  conveys  to  the  world  some  message  which 
should  not  be  lost,  much  less  can  we  afford  to  lose  the 
record  of  a  life  like  his — a  devoted  life  crowned  by  a 
heroic  death.  With  regard,  however,  to  my  own  part  in 
connection  with  this  work,  a  word  or  two  of  explanation 
may  be  necessary. 

It  seemed  to  his  relatives  and  friends  to  be  especially 
desirable  that  his  Memoir  should  be  entrusted  to  one 
who  had  known  him  personally  and  intimately.  With- 
out this  knowledge,  his  biographer  must  have  failed  in 
presenting  him  in  any  recognizable  form  before  the  pub- 
lic eye.  A  mere  enumeration  of  his  acts,  such  as  might 
be  easily  culled  from  his  diaries,  letters,  and  published 
articles,  or  from  printed  notices  regarding  him,  would 
convey  scarcely  any  idea  at  all  of  the  man  himself.  A 
verbatim  record  of  his  sayings  would  probably  produce 
an  impression  utterly  false,  except  to  those  who  knew 
the  speaker  and  understood  the  moods  in  which  he  ut- 
tered them.  The  materials  of  which  Bishop  Hanning- 
ton was  formed  were  not  run  into  the  mould  in  which 
ordinary  men  are  shaped.  In  few  things  was  he  just 
like  the  majority.  Almost  everything  he  said  or  did  was 
stamped  with  the  impress  of  his  own  distinct  individual- 

(V) 


vi  Preface. 

ity.  That  individuality  his  friends  now  treasure  among 
their  most  precious  memories.  They  can  never  dissoci- 
ate his  words  from  the  tone  of  the  voice  which  accom- 
panied them,  or  from  the  sly  twinkle,  or  it  might  be,  the 
impatient  flash  of  the  grey  eyes  which  introduced  them. 
They  can  never  think  of  his  acts  without  recalling  the 
active,  energetic  figure,  so  full  of  life  and  movement, 
which  carried  through  with  an  inimitable  enthusiasm  of 
forceful  purpose  whatever  was  uppermost  in  his  mind. 
They  would  not  have  had  one  thing  about  him  different; 
but  his  ways  were  his  own,  and  his  words  were  his  own, 
and  nothing  would  be  easier  than  that  a  stranger,  by 
separating  his  words  and  his  ways  from  himself,  should 
be  perfectly  accurate  in  every  statement,  and  yet  repre- 
sent him  to  the  world  in  a  manner  which  would  not  only 
be  unsatisfactory,  but  even  misleading  and  unfair  to  his 
memory. 

When,  therefore,  his  widow  requested  me  to  undertake 
the  editorship  of  his  Life  and  Work,  I  accepted  the  re- 
sponsibility, trusting  that  my  own  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  man  might  more  than  compensate  for  any  want 
of  skill  which  I  might  display  in  the  treatment  of  my 
subject.  Perhaps,  also,  hoping  that  my  own  love  for 
him  might  enable  me  to  make  an  appreciative  study  of 
his  remarkable  character. 

It  only  remains  for  me  to  say  that,  in  the  compilation 
of  this  Memoir,  the  Bishop's  diary  has  been  quoted  when- 
ever it  has  been  possible  to  give  the  narrative  in  his  own 
words.  I  have  also  to  offer  my  warmest  thanks  to  the 
Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  who 
has  placed  the  whole  of  the  Bishop's  official  correspond- 
ence with  the  Society  at  my  disposal ;  and  especially 
to  Mr.  Eugene  Stock,  who  has  most  kindly  revised  such 
statements  as  refer  to  the  history  of  the  Society.    Other 


Preface.  vii 

friends  have  also  contributed  letters  and  personal  rem- 
iniscences, for  which  I  am  grateful. 

With  regard  to  the  illustrations  which  are  scattered 
throughout  the  volume,  they  are  all,  with  one  or  two  ex- 
ceptions, reduced  from  the  Bishop's  own  sketches.  Some 
of  the  pen-and-ink  drawings  are  exact  fac-similes  ;  and 
even  the  full-page  engravings  follow  his  pencil  very 
closely. 

The  details  of  the  Bishop's  death  are  collated  from 
the  different  accounts  given  by  those  who  were  either 
eye-witnesses,  or  who  repeated  what  had  been  told  to 
them  by  those  who  were  present.  These  accounts  slight- 
ly vary,  but  they  do  not  contradict  each  other  in  any 
material  point.  At  the  very  last  moment,  when  this  book 
had  already  gone  to  press,  the  precious  little  diary,  to  the 
pages  of  which  the  Bishop  committed  his  last  writings 
during  his  imprisonment  in  Busoga,  was  most  unexpect- 
edly recovered  and  sent  home.  The  printing  of  the  book 
was  at  once  stopped,  and  the  last  sixty  pages  have  been 
rewritten  so  as  to  incorporate  into  them  the  valuable 
knowledge  thus  acquired.  Space  has  not  permitted  me 
to  enter  the  whole  journal  unabridged,  but  very  full  ex- 
tracts have  been  made  from  it.  I  may  say,  indeed,  that 
nothing  which  could  throw  any  light,  either  upon  the 
Bishop's  state  of  mind,  or  upon  the  circumstances  of  his 
case,  has  been  omitted. 

I  now  commit  this  book  to  the  prayers  of  God's 
people.  It  has  been  my  endeavor,  in  the  pages  which 
follow,  to  let  James  Hannington  reveal  himself  as  he 
was,  in  order  that  those  who  did  not  know  him  in  the 
flesh  may  learn  the  secret  of  that  nature  which  laid  so 
firm  a  hold  upon  the  hearts  of  a  large  circle  of  devoted 
friends,  and  which  seldom  failed  to  leave  its  deep  im- 
pression upon  all  those  with  whom  he  was  associated. 


viii  Preface. 

My  own  earnest  desire  is  that  the  example  of  his  noble 
self-denial  may  stir  up  others  to  emulation,  and  brace 
those  who  read  to  follow  in  his  footsteps  and  to  *'  lay 
aside  every  weight,  and  run  with  patience  the  race  that 
is  set  before  them." 

E.  C.  D. 

Edinburgh,  Nov.,  1886. 


CONTENTS.^ 
PART  I. 

CHAPTER  I. 

PAGB 

Parentage  and  Childhood  (1847—60)    ....       3 

CHAPTER  n. 
School-days  (1860—62) 17 

CHAPTER  III. 
Business  and  Pleasure  (1862 — 67) 21 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Emancipation  (1867 — 68) 39 

CHAPTER  V. 
Life  at  Oxford  (1868 — 69)         .       .        .       .       .       .46 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Martinhoe  (1870 — 73) 68 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The    Turning  -  Point.  —  Ordination.  —  The    Great 

Change  (1873 — 74) 84 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Work  at  Trentishoe  and  Darley  Abbey  (1875)  .        .     106 

CHAPTER  IX. 
St.  George's,  Hurstpierpoint  (1875)        .       .       .       .126 

CHAPTER  X. 

Home  Mission  Work  and  Personal  Diary  (1875—79)  .    144 

(ix) 


X  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Home  Mission  Work  and  Personal  Diary  {continued)   ^^^^ 
(1879—82) 166 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Beckoning  Hand  (1878—82) 192 

PART    II. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  First  Missionary  Journey. — Zanzibar  to  Mpwa 

pwa  (1882) 211 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Mpvvapwa  to  Uyui  (1882) 227 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Uyui  to  the  Victoria  Nyanza  (1882)      .        .        ,        .244 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Lake  (1882—83) 263 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Beaten  Back  (1883) 279 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Second  Missionary  Journey  (1883—84) .       .       .303 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Frere  Town  (1885) 321 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The    Kilima-njaro    Expedition. — Visit  to   Chagga 

(1885.    March,  April) 343 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
"  The  Work  of  a  Bishop  "  (1885.    April— June)  .    373 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
The  Last  Journey  (1885.    July— October)    .        .        .396 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
How  It  Came  to  Pass 438 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

Portrait  of  Bishop  Hannington  .  .  .  Frontispiece. 
The  Curate's  House  at  Martinhoe  ....  92 
Pen  Sketches  of  Adventures  in  Lundy  Island  .  iii — 116 
St.  George's  Chapel,  Hurstpierpoint    .        .        .        .126 

Inquisitive  Natives 232 

Curious  Rocks 234 

A  Village  in  Central  Africa 246 

An  Awkward  Situation 254 

Strange  Headland,  Jordan's  Nullah  ....    267 

A  Night  Alarm 274 

"Village  in  Urima,  where  I  was  detained  by  the 

Natives" 278 

Near  Makola's  Village 284 

I'EN  Sketches  of  Adventures  of  Travel  in  Africa. 

285,  286,  292 — 295 

The  Two  Taitas  from  Maungu 352 

KiBO  and  Kimawenzi,  from  Taveta  ....  358 
Mountain  Torrent,  Marango,  Kilima-njaro  .  .  366 
Pen  Sketches  of  a  Mangrove  Swamp  and  Hornet's 

Nest 387,  388 

A  Masai  Warrior  (El-Moran) 422 

Fac-simile  of  the  Bishop's  Sketch  of  his  Prison  .  454 
Fac-simile  of  a  Page  of  the  Bishop's  Diary  .  ,  460 
Map. 

(xi) 


PART    I. 


JAMES   HANNINGTON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PARENTAGE  AND  CHILDHOOD. 
(1847—60.) 

"  I  judge  him  of  a  rectified  spirit." 

Ben  Jonson. 

"  Ring  in  the  valiant  man  and  free, 

The  larger  heart,  the  kindlier  hand  ; 
Ring  out  the  darkness  of  the  land. 
Ring  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be." 

/;/  Memoriam. 

There  were  Hanningtons  in  England  in  very  early 
times.  Domesday-Book  records  their  existence.  Whether 
my  dear  old  friend,  whose  too  brief  life  I  am  now  trying 
to  set  forth,  was  directly  connected  with  any  of  these  is 
likely  to  remain  forever  uncertain.  Nor  does  it  greatly 
signify  to  know.  The  chief  interest  of  pedigrees  to  the 
wise  is,  surely,  to  trace  by  their  help  the  transmission  of 
certain  individual  characteristics  and  the  development 
of  them.  If,  therefore,  we  do  not  possess  a  careful 
record  of  the  lives  and  characters  of  a  man's  ancestors, 
we  can  easily  dispense  with  their  mere  names.  Those 
only  are  of  any  real  value  to  us  whose  persons  and 
deeds,  manners  and  words,  throw  some  light  upon  the 
life  of  the  man  in  whom  we  are  interested,  and  offer 
some  clue  to  its  unravelment. 

The  first  among  the  ancestors  of  James  Hannington 


James  Hattnington. 


who  steps  with  any  definable  form  out  of  the  shadows, 
is  his  great-grandfather.  We  find  the  following  refer- 
ence to  him  in  his  Journal  : — "About  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century  my  great-grandfather  and  two  broth- 
ers sailed  in  a  boat  from  Dover,  and  came  into  Shore- 
ham  River  to  seek  their  fortunes  ;  in  those  days,  doubt- 
less, a  very  great  undertaking.  Here  my  great-grand- 
father married  a  lady  of  high  family.  She  was  the  last 
of  the  ancient  stock  of  the  De  Meophams,  Saxon  no- 
bles in  the  year  970  a.d.,  the  best  known  to  posterity  of 
whom  was  Simon  De  Meopham,  sometime  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  whose  tomb  may  be  seen  in  Canterbury 
Cathedral." 

Of  this  great-grandfather  we  wish  that  more  had  been 
recorded,  since  he  seems  to  have  possessed  at  least  one 
marked  characteristic  in  common  with  his  great-grand- 
son. The  diary  continues  : — "  Almost  all  that  I  have 
heard  of  him  is  that  he  was  a  man  of  superhuman 
strength.  On  one  occasion,  passing  by  where  a  cart 
was  stuck  fast  in  the  mud,  and  six  men  unable  to  move 
it,  he  bade  them  stand  clear,  and  lifted  it  out  by  him- 
self." Like  his  descendant  James,  who  was  always 
eagerly  to  the  fore  in  any  accident,  or  upon  any  occasion 
when  active  assistance  was  required,  he  evidently  could 
not  resist  the  impulse  to  step  in  and  bear  a  hand. 

After  his  death,  which  took  place  early,  the  great- 
grandmother  was  left  with  two  sons,  Charles  and  Smith 
Hannington.  The  elder  of  these  is  described  as  "a  man 
of  brilliant  talents  and  inventive  genius,  but  who  con- 
stantly failed  in  all  his  undertakings."  In  fact,  his  care- 
less extravagance  drained  his  mother's  resources,  and 
made  it  necessary  that  his  younger  brother  should  be 
apprenticed  to  a  trade  in  Brighton. 

This  younger  brother,  the  grandfather  of  James,  was 


Grandfather  afid  Grandson.  5 

of  different  metal  :  steady,  keen,  and  industrious  to  a 
wonderful  degree.  His  grandson  writes  of  him  : — "  He 
toiled  in  a  most  marvellous  manner."  In  after  days  the 
impression  left  by  the  old  man  upon  the  younger  gen- 
eration, who  were  often  urged  to  take  example  by  him 
and  to  walk  in  his  steps,  was  that  of  "a  shrewd  man  of 
business,  who  never  wanted  a  holiday,  and  never  thought 
that  other  people  wanted  one.  Thoroughly  liberal,  up- 
right and  religious  ;  no  man  more  so  ;  a  firm  and  strict 
master,  greatly  loved,  but  also  greatly  feared."  In 
which  description,  in  spite  of  the  unlikeness,  we  cannot 
but  recognize  the  texture  of  the  stock  from  which  the 
subject  of  this  biography  was  hewn.  One  trait  very  re- 
markably characterized  both  grandfather  and  grandson, 
— a  devoted  attachment  to  the  mother.  This  mother-love 
was  a  controlling  influence  of  great  power  in  the  life  of 
James.  He  can  never  write  of  his  mother  but  his  pen 
frames  some  new  term  of  endearment.  She  is  to  him 
"  the  gentlest  mother,  the  sweetest,  dearest  mother  that 
ever  lived."  If  he  is  in  any  trouble,  "  her  darling  hand  " 
has  always  power  to  soothe  him. 

And  it  is  told  of  the  grandfather  that,  when  quite  a 
young  man,  he  had  a  highly  advantageous  offer  of  part- 
nership from  the  owner  of  a  large  business  in  the  North 
of  England,  but  he  refused  it,  tempting  as  it  was,  because 
his  mother  could  not  accompany  him,  and  he  would  not 
leave  her  alone. 

Mr.  Smith  Hannington  married  a  lady  of  renowned 
beauty,  of  which  traces  remained  even  in  James's  time, 
and  by  her  had  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  the 
father  of  James,  settled  in  Brighton  and  carried  on  the 
business  which  had  been  there  commenced.  For  some 
time  he  continued  to  reside  in  Brighton,  in  accordance 
with  the  wise  old  adage  too  often  neglected  in  these 


6  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1847 — 60. 

days,  "  Prepare  thy  work  without,  and  afterwards  build 
thine  house."  *  There  seven  children  were  born,  but  in 
the  year  1847,  just  before  the  birth  of  James,  ability  and 
attention  to  business  having  produced  their  usual  result, 
Mr.  Charles  Smith  Hannington  purchased  the  property 
of  St.  George's,  Hurstpierpoint,  which  henceforth  be- 
came the  home  of  the  family. 

James  Hannington  writes:  "  I  was  born  on  the  third  of 
September,  1847.  The  only  peculiar  circumstance  con- 
nected with  my  birth  was  the  fact  that  my  father  was  in 
Paris  at  the  time.  Can  this  have  anything  to  do  with 
my  passionate  love  of  travelling?  Because  none  of  my 
brothers  seem  thus  affected." 

Hurst,  as  the  inhabitants  call  it  for  brevity's  sake,  is  a 
pretty  little  village  in  the  south  of  Sussex.  On  the  side 
next  to  Brighton,  from  which  it  is  distant  some  eight 
miles,  the  horizon  is  bounded  by  the  wavy  line  of  the 
high  downs.  Beyond  these,  hidden  behind  their  wind- 
mill-crowned ramparts,  is  the  sea.  On  the  other  side 
lies  a  wide  stretch  of  fair  view — such  a  view  as  is  pecu- 
liar to  the  south  of  England.  Pretty  undulating  country, 
well  wooded,  here  and  there  the  warm  red  of  old  brick 
farm-steadings  catching  the  level  rays  of  the  setting  sun, 
and  glowing  into  crimson  on  tall  chimney-stalk  and  tiled 
roof  ridge  ;  everywhere  free  flowing  curves  topped  with 
foliage,  melting,  in  the  far  distance,  into  the  dim  uncer- 
tainty of  broken  tree-line. 

The  mansion  of  St.  George's  is  pleasantly  situated 
near  the  entrance  to  the  village.  It  stands  within  its 
own  large  garden  and  grounds.  At  the  back  a  glass 
door  opens  upon  a  flight  of  wide  steps  descending  to  the 
lawn.     All  around  are  shrubberies  full  of  deep  nooks, 

*  Prov.  xxiv.  27. 


^t.  I — 13.]  A    Young  Naturalist.  7 

wherein  children  may  hide  and  play.  Not  far  off  are 
two  lakelets,  among  the  spreading  weeds  of  which,  and 
between  the  broad  lily  leaves,  myriads  of  mysterious 
creatures  skim  and  dart,  and  send  up  bubbles  to  the  sur- 
face from  strange  and  unknown  depths.  Then,  outside 
the  iron  railings  which  bound  the  lawn,  are  the  fields 
spangled  with  golden  buttercups,  and  beyond  all 
stretches  the  illimitable  country  that  opens  out  upon 
the  world.     A  very  child's  paradise  ! 

Here,  there,  and  everywhere,  through  this  pleasance, 
went  little  baby  James,  with  the  keenest  of  inquiring 
eyes  :  of  that  we  may  be  sure.  There  was  no  nook  in  the 
grounds,  from  the  holly  bush  where  the  blackbird  had 
swung  that  cunning  nest  of  hers  with  the  four  mottled 
eggs  in  it,  to  the  bank  where  the  humble  bee  burrled 
out  from  some  hole  behind  the  broad  dock  leaves,  into 
which  his  paddling,  sturdy  little  feet  had  not  taken  him. 
Before  long  ther^  was  no  secret  of  moss  or  flower  or  hid- 
den chrysalis,  in  garden  or  shrubbery,  that  had  not  been 
probed  by  his  busy,  eager  fingers.  He  was  a  born  nat- 
uralist. One  of  the  earliest  sayings  of  his,  treasured  up 
and  recorded  by  his  father,  is,  "  I  have  just  seen  a  big 
bird,  which  could  only  be  a  thrush  or  an  eagle  !  " 

To  the  end  of  his  life  he  could  not  resist  turning  aside 
to  see  some  strange  insect,  or  to  note  some  new  plant, 
or  examine  some  interesting  geological  specimen.  Of 
this  faculty  for  observation  and  interest  in  that  book  of 
Nature,  the  pages  of  which  are  opened  wide-spread  be- 
fore him  who  has  eyes  to  see,  we  shall  find  many  traces 
in  his  letters  and  journals.  "Beetles"  and  "mosses" 
always  bulked  largely  in  his  estimate  of  the  desirability 
of  any  spot  in  which  to  spend  a  holiday. 

His  very  youthful  peccadilloes  took  their  form  from 
this  early  developed  love  of  "specimens."     Other  boys 


g  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1847—60. 


might  steal  sugar  or  jam  when  the  cupboard  was  by 
chance  left  unlocked  ;  his  baby  hands  itched  for  the 
wondrous  things  behind  the  glass  doors  of  the  library 
museum.  He  says,  "No  portfolio  or  cabinet  was  safe 
from  my  nasty  little  fingers."  Once  it  was  a  rare  Baby- 
lonian seal,  at  another  time  a  trayful  of  selected  miner- 
als, which  were  abstracted,  and  with  much  glee  hidden 
away  among  the  miscellaneous  articles  which  formed 
his  peculiar  treasure. 

This  tendency  to  observe  and  "  collect  "  was  both  in- 
herited from  and  encouraged  by  that  "  sweetest,  dearest 
mother,"  who  made  a  companion  of  her  wayward,  erratic 
little  son,  and  both  fostered  and  directed  his  natural  love 
of  science  in  many  branches.  As  he  grew  older,  the 
delight  of  James  was  to  pore  over  the  treasures  of  his 
ever-increasing  cabinets  with  his  mother,  and  to  arrange 
and  classify  the  specimens  and  relics  which  they  had 
collected,  during  their  travels,  from  land  and  sea. 

Taking  his  education,  however,  as  a  whole,  we  can- 
not feel  satisfied  that  the  best  plan  was  adopted  in  the 
upbringing  of  the  child.  There  seems  to  have  been 
much  liberty,  checked  by  an  occasional  vigorous  appli- 
cation of  the  birch  rod,  but  little  systematic  teaching  or 
sustained  and  orderly  training.  Now,  liberty  tempered 
by  the  birch  rod  can  never  be  a  very  safe  system  under 
which  to  bring  up  any  lad,  especially  a  headstrong  and 
passionate  boy  with  a  marked  individuality  like  that  of 
our  little  James.  We  are  inclined  to  think  that  a  little 
less  of  both  in  the  days  of  his  childhood  would  have 
saved  him  the  necessity  for  more  than  one  lesson  hard 
to  be  learned  in  the  days  of  his  manhood. 

He  himself  blames  the  old-fashioned  severity  with 
which  any  fault,  when  brought  home  to  him,  was  pun- 
ished.    "I  am  not  quite  certain,"  he  says,  "that  it  did 


^t.  I— 13.]  Moral  Courage. 


not  destroy  my  moral  courage.  I  have  none,  and  I  think 
that  it  was  from  fear  that  I  lost  it.  To  this  very  day  I 
am  afraid  out  of  my  wits  to  ask  my  father  for  the  simplest 
thing  ;  and  yet  I  know  that  there  is  no  likelihood  of  his 
refusing  me."  He  also  attributes  a  certain  reserve  of 
character  and  unwillingness  to  unfold  himself  to  the  in- 
spection of  others,  to  the  same  cause.  With  regard  to 
this  self-criticism  we  may  say  that  he  perhaps  may  have 
been  reserved  to  this  extent,  that  he  never  found  it  easy, 
either  by  letter  or  in  conversation,  to  convey  to  anothei 
what  he  felt  most  deeply.  He  was  not  given  to  un 
burdening  himself,  except  to  his  most  chosen  intimates, 
who  were  the  privileged  recipients  of  his  confidences. 
This  may  have  been  natural,  or  it  may  have  been  the 
result  of  his  peculiar  training.  We  are  inclined  to  think 
that  both  may  be  held,  in  a  measure,  responsible  for  it. 
Lacking  in  moral  courage  I  do  not  think  he  was — cer- 
tainly not  to  any  conspicuous  extent:  rather  the  reverse. 
It  may  have  been  that  moral  courage  was  not  natural  to 
him.  In  that  case  there  belongs  to  him  the  greater 
honor  of  acquiring  it. 

The  man  who  is  naturally  gifted  \N\xh  physical  courage 
has  no  fear  of  exposing  his  body  to  rude  assaults.  And 
perhaps  we  may  define  moral  courage  as  a  certain  fear- 
lessness in  exposing  the  inner  self  to  possible  laceration 
or  rebuff.  Insensibility  to  fear  is  popularly  accounted 
bravery;  but  he,  surely,  is  no  less  brave,  rather  more  so, 
who,  though  he  vibrates  through  all  his  nervous  system, 
and  shrinks  from  exposure  to  pain  or  violence,  yet  schools 
himself  to  encounter  them  without  flinching.  And  as 
the  courage  of  that  general,  who,  preparing  to  lead  his 
men  into  the  hottest  forefront  of  the  battle,  thus  ad- 
dressed his  trembling  knees  :  "Ah  !  you  would  quake 
worse  if  you  only  knew  where  I  am  going  just  now  to 


10  James  Hamtington.         [A.D.  1847—60. 


take  you," — is  justly  considered  to  have  been  of  a  higher 
order  than  the  stolid  insensibility  which  carried  others 
calmly  enough  into  the  jaws  of  death — so,  he  who  reso- 
lutely masters  his  moral  cowardice,  and  faces  his  duty 
manfully,  must  be  considered  the  most  truly  morally 
brave.  If  it  be  true,  then,  that  James  Hannington,  who 
possessed  the  attribute  of  physical  courage  in  so  marked 
a  degree,  was  naturally  deficient  in  that  moral  courage 
which  is  the  more  important  of  the  two,  we  can  only  say 
that  to  him  belongs  the  credit  of  overcoming  his  natural 
weakness  in  a  very  marvellous  manner.  To  those  who 
observed  him  closely,  there  were  not  wanting  signs  that 
it  was  an  effort  to  him  to  expose  himself — that  is,  his 
sensitive,  inner  self — speaking  from  the  heart  to  the 
heart,  as  must  be  done  when  a  man  wishes  to  influence 
another  soul.  But  with  whatever  severity  he  may  have 
judged  himself,  to  his  friends  he  always  appeared  as  a 
man  who  might  be  relied  upon  to  do  his  duty  unflinch- 
ingly ;  to  speak  out  what  was  in  his  mind,  and  to  abide 
by  the  issue.  He  would  sometimes  class  himself  with 
such  characters  as  Mr.  Feeble-Mind,  or  Mr.  Ready-to- 
Halt ;  but  to  us  he  appeared  rather  Mr.  Valiant-for- 
Truth,  with  his  sword  ever  ready  to  his  hand. 

The  mixed  and  broken  nature  of  his  early  education 
had,  at  least,  this  advantage.  It  set  him  free  to  think 
for  himself,  and  possessing  as  he  did  unusual  powers  of 
observation,  and  naturally  disposed  to  make  use  of  them, 
he  gained,  while  still  a  lad,  a  sturdy  independence  of 
character,  and  a  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  quite 
beyond  those  of  his  own  age. 

The  first  thirteen  years  of  his  life,  then,  were  spent  at 
home,  and  in  travelling  and  yachting  with  his  parents. 

Many  stories  are  told  of  his  fearless  and  excitable 
nature.     He  was   always,  with    the    best  intentions,  in 


^t.  r — 13.]  First   Yachting  Trip.  ii 

some  mischief.  Alwaj^s  on  the  verge  of  a  serious  acci- 
dent; almost  always  escaping  without  much  harm  done, 
since  the  perfectly  fearless  rarely  suffer  by  their  own 
rashness.  It  is  recorded  how,  at  the  age  of  seven,  he 
clambered  unnoticed  up  the  mast  of  his  father's  yacht, 
and  was  at  last  discovered  high  aloft,  suspended  on  some 
projection  by  the  seat  of  his  trousers.  And  many  other 
such  adventures.  He  must  have  kept  his  mother  con- 
stantly upon  the  tiptoe  of  nervous  expectation  as  to  Vv^hat 
would  happen  next. 

He  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  was  permitted  to 
make  his  first  yachting  trip  alone  with  his  elder  brother, 
Samuel.  He  says:  "  My  father  hired  for  us  a  small  cutter, 
of  about  thirty-two  tons.  A  very  slow  old  tub  she  was, 
and,  therefore,  named  the  '  Antelope.'  Sam  was  at  this 
time  between  sixteen  and  seventeen  years  old,  but  very 
manly  for  his  age.  Everything  on  board  was  of  the 
roughest  description.  We  used  to  wait  upon  ourselves, 
make  our  own  beds,  and  do  all  that  sort  of  thing.  Sea 
pies  and  plum  duff  were  our  standing  dishes.  All  this 
mattered  little  to  us  ;  we  were  as  happy  and  contented 
as  the  days  were  long.  The  first  day,  being  slightly 
qualmish,  I  lay  on  the  deck  in  the  sun,  and  the  next 
morning  was  in  the  most  miserable  plight,  my  whole 
face  one  mass  of  blisters,  piteous  to  behold."  So,  start- 
ing from  Brighton,  they  went  round  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
past  Portland,  and  as  far  as  the  Land's  End  ;  visiting 
Torquay,  Dartmouth,  Penzance,  St.  Michael's  Mount, 
and  almost  every  place  of  interest  accessible  to  them. 
The  brothers  also  made  an  excursion  to  the  famous 
Loggan  Rock,  hard  by  the  Land's  End  ;  and  James  tells 
the  story  of  that  unfortunate  practical  joker  who  paid 
so  dearly  for  his  folly — that  Lieutenant  of  a  Revenue 
Cutter,  who  landed  a  party  to  throw  the  great  rocking- 


12  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1847 — 60. 


stone  over  the  cliff,  "to  make  a  grand  splash."  He  only 
succeeded  in  moving  the  mass  a  few  inches,  but  it  rocked 
no  more.  The  owner  of  an  inn,,  to  which  the  balanced 
stone  attracted  visitors,  sued  the  luckless  lieutenant  for 
damages,  and  he  was  condemned  to  replace  the  stone  in 
its  original  position.  This  he  did  with  partial  success, 
but  only  by  special  machinery,  and  at  such  cost  that 
"  he  was  reduced  to  beggary."  James  draws  a  suitable 
moral  from  this,  and  concludes  :  "  Alas  !  I  am  scarcely 
in  a  position  to  preach  ;  I  have  been  so  fond  of  playing 
practical  jokes  myself."  He  continues:  "We  returned 
in  our  own  time  to  the  Isle  of  Wight.  My  father  came 
down  to  Portsmouth  and  settled  with  Redman  (the  cap- 
tain and  owner).  That  very  night  I  was  awaked  by  a 
great  disturbance  on  deck,  a  crash  of  bottles,  and  a  sound 
as  of  fumbling  in  our  wine  locker.  Ah  !  I  always  told 
Sam,  thought  I,  that  our  wine  went  too  fast ;  there  they 
are  in  the  act.  Urchin  as  I  was,  I  don't  think  that,  in 
those  days,  I  knew  fear.  I  struck  a  light,  never  went  to 
see  whether  Sam  was  awake,  but  marched  into  the  fore- 
castle and  looked  at  the  men.  They  were  both  sound 
asleep,  and  a  stranger  lying  on  the  floor  asleep  too.  I 
then  slipped  up  the  forecastle  ladder,  and  should  have 
sallied  right  up  to  the  offending  parties,  had  not  Sam 
waked  and  seen  me,  and  called  me  back,  fearing  I  might 
get  hurt.  I  had,  however,  time  to  see  old  Redman  fear- 
fully tipsy  ;  a  woman  with  him  on  deck,  and  a  man  in  a 
boat  holding  on  by  the  side.  As  I  did  not  dare  disobey 
Sam,  I  crept  back  into  bed,  and  we  heard  the  woman 
say,  '  I  will  have  the  silver  spoon,  Uncle  Joe  ;  give  us  the 
silver  spoon.'  Here  the  boatman  interposed,  saying  it 
was  past  three  o'clock,  and  he  would  wait  no  longer  ;  so 
the  female  had  to  go  without  the  spoon,  and  Redman 
stumbled  down  to  his  bin,  amid  straw  and  broken  bot- 


Mi.  I — 13.]  Loss  of  his  Thumb.  13 

ties.  Next  morning,  daring  young  imp,  I  called  him  out 
of  his  berth  before  I  was  dressed.  However,  he  did  not 
appear  until  about  one  o'clock,  and  tried  to  look  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  Sam  did  not  quite  know  how 
to  introduce  the  subject ;  we  were  both  very  young,  and 
did  not  like  to  rebuke  such  an  elderly  sinner.  At  last  I 
went  up  to  him  with  all  the  assurance  of  eleven  years, 
and  asked  him  before  everybody  why  his  niece  wanted 
our  silver  spoon.  He  tried  to  look  surprised,  and  said, 
'  I  don't  understand  you,  sir  ! '  But  Sam  now  found  his 
opportunity,  and  opened  up  the  subject  till  Redman  was, 
I  remember,  ready  to  drop  on  his  knees  that  nothing 
more  might  be  said.  We  forgave  him.  We  had  enjoyed 
the  cruise  beyond  measure,  and  the  little  adventure  of 
'Uncle  Joe  *  only  added  spice  to  it," 

The  result  of  this  trip  was  that  young  James  quite 
made  up  his  mind  to  "go  to  sea."  This  might,  perhaps, 
have  been  his  lot,  but  the  death  at  sea  of  an  elder  brother 
had  determined  his  parents  not  to  allow  another  son  to 
enter  the  navy.  So  the  country  lost  a  daring  seaman, 
but  she  has  gained  thereby  the  priceless  legacy  of  the 
memory  of  a  Christian  martyr. 

Another  adventure  we  must  chronicle,  not  merely  as 
illustrating  the  courage  of  the  boy,  but  as  explaining  a 
conspicuous  physical  defect — the  absence  of  the  thumb 
upon  his  left  hand. 

He  was  bent  upon  taking  a  wasp's  nest,  and  had  just 
been  initiated  into  the  mystery  of  making  damp  gun- 
powder squibs,  or  "  blue  devils."  Full  of  his  new  ac- 
quirement, he  sought  out  Joe,  the  keeper's  son,  and  to- 
gether they  got  possession  of  a  broken  powder-flask. 
"  In  a  few  minutes,"  he  says,  "blue  devils  were  in  a  state 
of  readiness;  but  we  must  needs,  before  starting,  try  one 
with  touch-paper.    The  result  was  not  so  satisfactory  as 


J4  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1847—60. 

we  had  expected,  and  Joe  Simmons  says  I  tried  to  pour 
a  little  powder  on  the  top  of  it.  The  spring  of  the  flask 
was  broken,  and  in  an  instant  a  terrific  explosion  took 
place.  The  flask  was  blown  to  atoms,  and  I  was  to  be 
seen  skipping  about,  shaking  my  hand  as  if  twenty 
wasps  were  settling  on  it.  Simmons  senior  rushed  up 
at  the  report,  and  binding  up  my  hand  in  his  handker- 
chief, led  me  off  to  the  house,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant,  my  hand  all  the  while  streaming  with  blood, 
so  as  to  leave  a  long  red  streak  in  the  road.  When  I 
reached  the  garden  I  was  so  faint  that  Miles,  the  gar- 
dener, took  me  up  and  carried  me.  The  first  person  I 
met  was  my  mother.  She  at  once  saw  that  something 
was  wrong,  and,  in  spite  of  my  saying  that  I  had  only 
cut  my  finger  a  little,  she  sent  off  for  the  doctor.  I  was 
soon  under  chloroform,  and  my  thumb  was  amputated. 
It  was  quite  shattered,  and  only  hanging  by  the  skin.  I 
was  very  prostrate  from  the  great  loss  of  blood,  but, 
through  the  mercy  of  God,  I  soon  got  well  again.  I 
never  suffered  with  the  lost  thumb,  I  may  say,  at  all.  I 
used  to  feel  the  cold  in  it ;  but  that  also  has  passed 
away,  although  even  now  I  cannot  bear  a  blow  upon  it 
without  considerable  pain.  It  is  a  great  wonder  that  I 
was  not  taken  off  by  tetanus  ! " 

About  a  year  after  this,  in  the  summer  of  i860,  James 
went  with  one  of  his  brothers  and  their  tutor  for  a  tour 
through  Wales.  One  or  two  extracts  from  his  diary  are 
worth  quoting,  as  instancing  that  keen  sense  of  humor 
which  was  one  of  his  striking  characteristics.  Upon  the 
top  of  a  coach,  near  Aberystwith,  they  encountered  a 
certain  Unitarian.  At  him  the  tutor,  a  young  man  read- 
ing for  orders,  straightway  launched  himself.  The  con- 
flict was  an  unequal  one.  The  stranger  turned  out  to 
be  the  "  father  of  two  senior  wranglers,  whom  he  had 


^t.  I — 13.]  "An  Ancient  Dame."  15 

educated  himself."  The  fiery  orthodoxy  of  the  tutor,  in 
spite  of  his  newly-acquired  theological  batter}'^,  was  no 
match  for  the  dogmatism  of  the  father  of  the  wranglers. 
James  writes,  evidently  with  gleeful  remembrance  of  the 

scene  :  "  Mr. rushed  at  him  single-handed  ;  words 

waxed  very  warm  ;  the  Unitarian's  arms  flew  about  like 
the  sweeps  of  a  windmill.  We  were  ordered  not  to  listen 
to  the  profane  babbler,  but  we  could  not  help  hearing 
our  tutor  scream  in  a  very  loud  voice,  '  But  you  won't 
let  me  get  a  word  in  edgeways.'  ''And  I  don't  mean  to,' 
replied  his  adversary,  in  still  louder  tones.  I  fear  he 
had  the  fight  pretty  much  his  own  way,  for  our  tutor 
said  that  he  was  a  nasty,  rude  man,  and  forbade  us  to 
speak  to  him  again."  Do  we  not  see  them  ?  That  raw 
young  man,  with  his  thin  veneering  of  theological  lore, 
and  that  hot-blooded  Welsh  mathematician,  butting 
against  each  other  in  direst  conflict  ? 

Again,  how  graphically  he  tells  the  story  of  that  abom- 
inable old  Welshwoman,  "an  ancient  dame,  rheumatic 
and  lame,"  who  "was  got  on  top  of  the  coach  by  means 
of  a  ladder  and  ropes,  two  or  three  men  pushing  and 
pulling  with  all  their  might"!  The  driver,  an  ex-colonel 
in  the  arm}^,  rated  at  the  old  dame,  and  "vowed  he 
would  not  stop  the  coach  for  such  a  time.  However, 
they  at  last  got  her  up,  and  she  sat  coughing  and  groan- 
ing. We  soon  began  to  speculate  about  her  descent, 
and  it  became  a  matter  of  conjecture  as  to  how  she  was 
to  be  got  down.  Two  or  three  hours  afterwards  we  ar- 
rived at  Harlech,  and  the  horses  were  changed.  While 
this  was  being  done  the  colonel  and  other  passengers 
darted  in  to  get  some  refreshment.  Old  mother  was 
cruelly  left  on  the  box  to  take  care  of  herself.  Thinking, 
of  course,  that  she  was  safely  housed,  the  money  for  her 
fare  had  not  been  taken.     Not  two  minutes  elapsed — 


i6  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1847—60. 

in  fact  the  colonel  only  gave  himself  time  to  swallow  a 
hasty  glass  of  beer,  when  he  returned  to  look  at  his  new 
team.  Lo  !  that  ancient  dame  had  jumped  down,  bas- 
kets, bundles,  and  all,  and  had  given  him  the  slip.  If 
he  cursed  her  in  his  heart  because  she  took  such  a  long 
time  to  get  up,  he  cursed  her  ten  times  more  because 
she  took  such  a  short  time  to  get  down  !  It  was  the 
joke  of  the  day — even  the  colonel  could  not  help  laugh- 
ing, although  he  had  lost  his  money." 

Poor  little  James  had  now  reached  the  age  when 
children  begin  to  be  uncomfortably  conscious  of  their 
own  personal  appearance  and  deficiencies.  Though  he 
was  in  later  life  singularly  free  from  susceptibility  of 
this  kind,  and  never  seemed  to  wince  beneath  any  most 
pointed  personalities  that  might  be  thrust  at  him  by 
maliciously-minded  friends,  there  is  a  touch  of  boyish 
pain  in  the  following  record.  An  overflow  of  third-class 
passengers  had  filled  their  compartment  with  a  number 
of  roisterers,  who  cursed  and  swore  forth  profane  vul- 
garities all  the  way  home.  "  I  perfectly  well  recollect," 
he  writes,  "  that  one  of  these  cursers,  much  to  my  annoy- 
ance, noticed  that  I  had  lost  my  thumb,  and  I  was  very 
impressed,  as  he  was  the  first  stranger  "  (brutal  fellow  !) 
"  that  had  remarked  it  to  me." 


CHAPTER   II. 

SCHOOL-DAYS. 
(1860—62.) 

"  My  bonnie  laddie's  young,  but  he's  growin'  yet." 

Old  Scotch  Ballad. 

Very  shortly  after  the  Welsh  tour  referred  to  in  the 
last  chapter,  the  tutor  left  to  take  a  curacy.  What  was 
to  be  done  with  the  boys  ?  James  was  now  thirteen,  and 
not  very  easy  for  a  tutor  to  manage.  Good-natured  and 
warm-hearted,  but  withal  quick-tempered,  and  an  in- 
veterate tease  :  capable  of  great  industry  when  the  sub- 
ject— as  that  of  natural  history — interested  him  ;  but 
otherwise  seemingly  incorrigibly  idle,  and  utterly  averse 
to  apply  himself  to  the  dull  routine  of  the  classical  mill: 
it  was  evident  to  his  parents  that  he  and  his  brother 
Joseph  ought  to  go  to  school.  It  was  only,  however, 
after  long  thought  and  some  demur  that  it  was  finelly 
decided  that  they  should  enter  the  Temple  School  at 
Brighton. 

"  Alas  !  "  he  writes,  "  it  was  only  a  private  school,  and 
we  were  allowed  to  go  home  every  Saturday  to  stop  till 
Monday  morning." 

The  home-bred  boy  was  at  first,  naturally  enough, 
very  unhappy.  The  memory  of  the  day  when  he  was 
left,  pale,  nervous,  and  shivering,  in  the  school-room, 
among  his  new  companions,  always  clung  to  him.  Do 
not  most  of  us  recall  such  a  moment  ?  The  kindly  man- 
ner of  the  head-master,  however,  made  things  easier  for 
both  the  brothers,  and  they  soon  fell  into  their  places. 

(17) 


1 8  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1860—62. 

Hannington  criticises  with  some  severity  the  private 
tutor  and  private  school  system,  with  frequent  visits 
home,  under  which,  by  a  mistaken  kindness,  he  had  been 
brought  up.  He  writes  in  his  journal,  '*  I  knew  abso- 
lutely nothing,  the  result  of  private  tutorage,  and  I 
was  put  into  the  fourth  class,  which  was  bottom  but 
one."  Again,  speaking  of  the  time  when  he  left  school, 
he  adds  :  "  I  only  remained  at  school  until  I  was  fifteen 
and  a  half,  and  then  left  for  business,  with  as  bad  an 
education  as  possible  ;  I  may  say  as  bad  as  my  father's 
was  good.  I  was  no  more  fit  to  leave  school  than  to 
fly,  and  yet  I  was  then  in  the  first  class.  So  much  for 
private  tutors  and  private  schools.  I  believe  that  both 
systems  are  equally  pernicious."  All  of  which  I  tran- 
scribe without  either  endorsing  the  opinion  or  otherwise, 
except  so  far  as  to  remind  the  reader  that  what  is  one 
boy's  poison  may  be  another  boy's  food.  As  regards  a 
boy  of  Hannington's  type,  it  can  scarcely  be  doubted 
that  the  system  he  condemns  was  open  to  serious  objec- 
tions. As  he  says  of  himself  :  "  I  was  naturally  idle, 
and  would  not  learn  of  myself,  and  I  was  unfortunate 
enough  always  to  be  sent  to  places  where  I  was  not 
driven  to  learn.  Would  that  I  had  been  driven  !  "  In 
the  later  years  of  his  short  life,  his  industry  and  appli- 
cation were  unwearied  and  immense.  No  one  could  ac- 
cuse him  of  trifling  with  his  time,  or  of  the  smallest 
degree  of  self-indulgence.  He  was  scrupulously  pains- 
taking in  the  execution  of  any  work  which  he  under- 
took, and  his  undertakings  he  meted  out  to  himself 
with  no  scant  hand.  But  no  one  can  doubt  that  his 
university  course,  upon  which  so  much  of  a  man's  future 
depends,  would  have  been  quite  other  than  it  was,  per- 
haps even  a  brilliant  one,  had  he  possessed  the  advan- 
tage of  a  more  thorough  and  systematic  early  training. 


j£t^  13 — 15.]       Intelligent  and  Conscientious.  19 

Hannington  had  plenty  of  intelligence  ;  was  as  sharp 
as  a  needle  ;  quick  to  learn  what  he  chose  to  learn  ; 
and  what  he  once  learned  he  always  retained.  Volatile 
and  excitable  as  he  was,  he  could  be  serious  enough  when 
the  occasion  seemed  to  demand  it,  and  in  the  midst  of  all 
his  extravagances  a  certain  solid  good  sense  generally 
kept  him  within  bounds,  so  that  he  never  committed  any 
act  which  could  cause  himself  or  others  serious  regret. 
He  soon  became  a  prime  favorite  at  school,  both  v/ith 
the  masters  and  boys.  That  the  former  should  have 
been  the  case  is  more  strange  than  the  latter.  He  soon 
proved  himself  to  be  a  confirmed  "  pickle."  He  thus  re- 
ports himself  :  "  I  was  always  very  excitable  and  noisy, 
and  was  called  'Mad  Jim'  In  fact,  I  was  one  day  re- 
^lorted  to  the  head-master  as  'verging  on  insanity,'  and 
was  severely  punished."  He  once  lit  a  bonfire  in  the 
middle  of  his  dormitory  ;  at  another  time  pelted  the 
German  master  with  his  rejected  papers;  and  we  are  not 
much  surprised  to  learn  that,  on  one  particularly  un- 
lucky day,  he  was  "caned  more  than  a  dozen  times," 
till,  smarting  in  every  inch  of  his  body,  he  had  serious 
thoughts  of  running  away. 

The  head-master,  however,  was  most  judicious  and 
kind.  Whatever  was  lacking  in  his  pupil's  education, 
the  fault  could  not  be  laid  upon  the  threshold  of  the 
pedagogue.  He  liked  the  giddy  boy,  into  whose  truly 
lovable  nature  he  saw,  and  easily  secured  his  affection 
in  return.  Hannington  was  sensitively  conscientious 
and  trustworthy.  Hatred  of  a  lie  was  inborn  and  in- 
bred in  him.  He  might  always  be  entirely  relied  upon 
to  carry  out  anything  that  he  had  once  undertaken,  and 
that  not  only  in  the  letter,  but  in  the  spirit.  His  word 
was,  in  the  most  rigid  sense,  his  bond.  This  fidelity  of 
mind  was  developed  in  him  very  early. 


20  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1860—62. 


The  following  instance  seems  quite  a  remarkable  one 
of  a  school-boy's  endurance  for  conscience  sake. 

Every  school  has  its  bully.  A  certain  R.  R.  filled  this 
role  during  the  time  Hannington  was  at  the  Temple 
School.  Being  rash  enough  to  attack  this  boy,  Han- 
nington got,  what  perhaps  upon  that  occasion  he  richly 
deserved,  a  tremendous  thrashing.  Both  of  his  eyes 
were  closed  up,  and  sundry  egg-like  bumps  upon  his 
head  bore  witness  to  the  hardness  of  his  adversary's 
fists.  That  same  afternoon  he,  unluckily,  had  to  go 
home  to  pay  his  weekly  visit.  Horrified  at  the  dreadful 
appearance  of  her  son,  his  mother  made  him  promise 
that  he  would  never  fight  again. 

Now,  there  never  was  one  more  absolutely  devoid  of 
physical  fear  than  James  Hannington.  Yet,  holding 
himself  bound  by  that  promise  of  his,  he  returned  to 
school  defenceless.  Every  one  knows  what  must  be  the 
fate  of  a  school-boy  when  once  the  young  imps  about 
him  have  clearly  ascertained  that  he  will  not  fight.  He 
was  soon  made  thoroughly  wretched.  His  pusillanimity, 
for  such  it  seemed,  was  taken  advantage  of  in  every  way. 
He  went  about  like  a  muzzled  mastiff,  submitting  to  be 
treated  by  his  tormentors  like  a  coward  and  a  cur. 

At  last  he  could  stand  it  no  longer.  "  One  day,"  he 
says,  "  I  had  allowed  myself  to  be  bullied  nearly  to  death 
by  B.  P.,  a  boy  about  my  own  size,  when  all  of  a  sudden 
I  turned  round  and  said,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
whole  school,  that  I  would  fight  him.  He  was  backed 
by  his  cousin,  only  son  of  Baron  P.  ;  I  don't  think  I  had 
anybody  to  back  me,  but  I  very  soon  gave  him  a  thrash- 
ing, and  I  never  recollect  being  bullied  afterwards."  He 
always  remembered  that  act  as  a  "  broken  promise,"  but 
who  can  doubt  that  such  a  promise  was  a  greater  burden 
laid  upon  a  school-boy's  shoulders  than  he  could  be  rea- 
sonably expected  to  bear  ! 


CHAPTER   III. 

BUSINESS    AND    PLEASURE. 

(1862—67.) 

"  Always  roaming  with  a  hungry  heart, 
Much  have  I  seen  and  known." 

Ulysses. 

"  One  has  to  spend  so  many  years  in  learning  to  be  happy." 

George  Eliot. 

It  too  often  happens  in  life  that  the  square  man  is  put 
into  the  round  hole;  and  not  only  put  there,  but  rammed 
down  into  the  hole,  and  worked  back  and  forth  in  it,  un- 
til his  angles  have  somewhat  accommodated  themselves 
to  the  misfit.  So  the  wheels  of  life  go  round,  somehow, 
not  without  a  good  deal  of  friction,  and  some  expostu- 
latory  creaking.  Happily  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
proved  altogether  too  polygonal  to  be  fitted,  by  any  most 
careful  easing  whatever,  into  the  hole  which  circum- 
stances seemed  to  have  prepared  for  him.  He  already 
possessed  a  moderate  competence.  The  portion  of  goods 
that  belonged,  or  would  belong  to  him  v/as  likely  to  be 
sufficient  for  his  wants.  But  the  road  to  fortune  lay 
plainly  through  the  counting-house,  and  his  father's 
established  and  high-class  place  of  business. 

To  the  counting-house  at  Brighton,  then,  he  was  sent 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  there  he  remained  more  or  less 
during  six  years.  He  was  wholly  unsuited,  by  almost 
every  characteristic  he  possessed,  for  the  monotonous 
routine  of  a  commercial  life.     Generous,  impulsive,  er- 

(21) 


22  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1862. 


ratic,  the  careful  men  who  managed  that  great  business 
house,  had  they  taken  him  into  partnership,  would  have 
discovered  before  long  that  they  had  bound  a  very  zebra 
to  their  cart  yoke.  "  Canst  thou  bind  the  unicorn  with 
his  band  in  the  furrow  ?  or  will  he  harrow  the  valleys 
after  thee  ? "  The  experiment  has  often  been  tried.  The 
result  has,  we  venture  to  say,  seldom  been  satisfactory. 
Happily,  in  Hannington's  case,  the  "  fork  "  was  not  too 
persistently  applied  to  that  ever-recurring  nature  of  his. 
After  six  years  he  was  allowed  to  choose  that  path  for 
which  the  Divine  Hand  had  fashioned  him. 

On  looking  through  the  record  of  these  six  years  they 
seem  to  have  been  filled  up  with  almost  more  pleasur- 
ing than  "business."  Hannington  writes:  "  As  soon  as 
I  left  school  I  was  allowed  to  go  with  my  late  master, 
W.  H.  Gutteridge,  on  a  trip  to  Paris.  I  was  intensely 
delighted;  so  much  so  that  at  first  I  could  scarcely  real- 
ize it.  Once,  when  a  little  boy,  having  caught  an  un- 
usually fine  fish,  thinking  that  I  must  be  asleep  and 
dreaming,  I  pinched  myself  as  hard  as  I  could,  and 
repeated  the  pinch  two  or  three  times,  to  make  quite 
certain  that  I  was  awake.  And  now,  as  I  stepped  on 
board  the  steamer  at  Newhaven,  I  felt  much  the  same 
inclination  to  pinch  myself,  it  seemed  so  impossible 
that  I  was  really  on  my  way  to  spend  six  or  eight  weeks 
abroad.  Visions  of  cardinals  shut  up  in  cages,  of  the 
horrors  of  revolutions,  the  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame, 
the  Morgue,  magnificent  chocolate  shops,  all  these  and 
more  confusedly  floated  through  my  brain."  A  mar- 
ginal note  to  the  diary,  evidently  written  much  later, 
adds  what  was  always  a  dominant  thought  with  him, 
"  My  dearest  of  mothers  was  pleased  too,  and  I  think 
that  knowing  this  gave  me  such  great  joy." 

This  trip  is  described  in  his  notes  at  great  length. 


JEt.  15.]  His   Trip  to  Paris.  23 

No  doubt  all  the  information  those  notes  contain  can 
be  gathered  from  a  guide-book,  but  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  few  guide-books,  drawn  up  by  experienced 
and  professional  travellers,  could  give  much  more  in- 
formation, or  pay  minuter  attention  to  details  than  does 
the  diary  of  this  boy  of  fifteen.  There  was  almost 
nothing  in  the  towns  he  visited  which  he  did  not  see, 
and,  what  is  more,  which  he  did  not  think  worth  the 
seeing.  He  was  at  this  time  very  far  from  being  a  mere 
gaping  school-boy.  If  he  did  not  yet  see  much  beneath 
the  shell  of  things,  he  at  least  took  an  intelligent  inter- 
est in  everything.  He  congratulates  himself  upon  hav- 
ing had  such  an  excellent  travelling  companion  as  Mr. 
Gutteridge;  but  we  might  also  congratulate  Mr.  Gut- 
teridge  himself  upon  the  companionship  of  that  uncon- 
ventionally fresh  young  mind. 

They  went  to  a  boarding-house  kept  by  a  certain 
Madame  Boys,  from  whence  he  writes  to  his  mother: 

"  Dearest  Mamma, — You  will  be  very  glad  to  hear 
that  we  had  a  capital  passage.  We  played  chess  on 
board  the  steamer  all  the  time:  neither  of  us  sick.  We 
went  to  church  Christmas  morning  at  the  Ambassador's 
Chapel,  and  to  the  Madeleine  in  the  afternoon.  We 
had  a  very  grand  dinner  party  in  the  evening.  Madame 
Boys  is  a  kind,  good-natured,  vulgar,  blowing-up-ser- 
vants little  woman — all  very  desirable  points  to  make 
me  happy.  I  mean  to  bring  you  home  six  snails  with 
rich  plum  pudding  stuffing  in  them.  With  my  very  best 
love  to  all,  especially  papa, 

"Your  affectionate  son,         James  Hannington." 

The  Archbishop  of  Paris  was  just  at  this  time  at  the 
point  of  death.  The  following  thoroughly  boyish  re- 
mark occurs  in   one  of  James's   letters   home:    "  I    am 


24  James  Hannington,  [A.D.  1863, 

rather  glad  that  the  Archbishop  is  dead;  we  are  going 
to  see  him  lying  in  state."  Which  they  accordingly  did, 
and  his  funeral  afterwards.  They  missed  nothing,  these 
two. 

A  short  six  months  were  now  spent  in  the  house  of 
business,  and  then  another  trip  abroad  with  Mr.  Gut- 
teridge  was  planned  and  carried  out. 

This  time  they  went  to  Brussels,  Antwerp,  Luxem- 
bourg, Treves,  and  m.any  other  places,  about  all  of 
which  Hannington  has  much  to  say.  Nothing  escaped 
his  observant  eyes,  and  everything  was  carefully  noted 
in  his  pocket-book.  At  Wiesbaden  he  notes  (the  gaming 
tables  were  then  in  full  swing):  "Those  who  seemed  to 
be  regular  professional  gamblers  were  the  ugliest  set  of 
people  that  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  A  gambling  table  is 
a  curious  sight.  I  recollected  those  awfully  eager  and 
ugly  faces  for  many  a  long  day." 

From  Wiesbaden  and  Frankfort  the  travellers  made 
their  way  to  Baden  Baden,  "  nestling  in  the  heart  of  the 
Black  Forest  like  a  beautiful  but  deadly  snake  on  a 
bank  of  purple  violets." 

Then  on  to  Lucerne,  whose  fairy-like  charms  seem  to 
have  inspired  the  following  not  unmusical  verse: 

"  Oh  !  for  a  painter's  brush,  or  poet's  pen. 
That  I  might  now  pourtray  {sic) 
The  glories  I  saw  then. 
The  sih'er  moon,  the  cloudless  starlit  sky. 
The  deep,  the  rippling  lake  ; 
Grim  Pilate  standing  by, 

Hoar-white  his  rugged  peak  with  glistening  snow. 
Like  some  fierce  lion's  fang, 
Unbared  to  meet  the  foe." 

From  the  Wengern  Alp  James  saw  his  first  avalanche, 
with  which,  having,  like  most  travellers,  formed  mar- 


^t.  1 6.]  A  Notable  Day.  2$ 

vellous  conceptions  of  falling  mountains,  he  was  at  first 
rather  disappointed.  He  saw  the  great  Rhone  Glacier, 
not  then  shrunk  to  its  present  lesser  proportions.  From 
thence  the  two  crossed  over  the  St.  Gothard  Pass  into 
Italy,  saw  the  Lakes  and  Milan,  and  penetrated  as  far 
as  Venice.  Returning  across  the  Simplon,  they  visited 
Chamounix,  and  made  a  glacier  excursion  as  far  as  the 
"Jardin,"  an  excursion  no  less  fascinating  because  so 
often  "done."  Thence  home  by  Geneva  and  Paris. 
The  whole  trip  of  two  months  (June  and  July  of  1863) 
was  evidently  not  wasted  upon  the  boy,  but  was  a  real 
factor  in  his  education. 

The  First  of  September  that  followed  was  a  notable 
day  in  the  lad's  diary.  He  was  allowed  to  take  out  a 
game-license  for  the  first  time,  and  shot  his  first  bird. 
The  occurrence  was,  moreover,  impressed  upon  his  mem- 
ory by  the  explosion  of  a  cartridge  in  the  opened 
breech  of  his  gun,  whereby  his  face  was  severely  cut  and 
burnt,  and  for  some  little  time  he  was  quite  blinded. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hannington  had  now  taken  to  a  yacht- 
ing life,  and  spent  much  of  their  time  on  board.  James, 
who  was  devoted  to  the  sea  and  its  adventures,  was 
frequently  passing  backwards  and  forwards  between 
Portsmouth,  where  the  yacht  often  lay,  and  Brighton. 

'■'■Sunday,  Nov.  1st,  1863. — Caught  in  a  tremendous 
squall  returning  from  church  at  Portsmouth.  Never 
was  there  such  a  churchgoer  as  my  mother.  She  simply 
would  go  if  it  was  possible.  I  wonder  that  we  never 
capsized  during  those  rough-weather  journeys." 

The  next  entry  in  his  diary  records  his  commission  as 
second  lieutenant  in  the  ist  Sussex  Artillery  Volun- 
teers. 

'^  March   2W1,    1864. — My  first  day  in  uniform." 


26  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1864. 

^'' June  iit/i. — Rapid  progress  in  soldiering.  Battalion 
inspected,  and  I  had  command  of  my  company." 

Hannington  made  an  excellent  artillery  officer.  He 
was  a  great  favorite  with  the  men,  from  whom,  how- 
ever, he  exacted  implicit  obedience.  He  early  displayed 
considerable  organizing  power,  and  always  gave  that 
attention  to  seemingly  trifling  details  which  goes  so  far 
to  ensure  the  success  of  any  undertaking. 

July  and  the  first  week  of  August  of  this  year  were 
spent  on  board  the  yacht  Zelia,  and  in  a  continental  tour 
with  his  parents  through  part  of  France,  Germany,  and 
Switzerland.  His  taste  for  travel  was  as  keen  as  ever; 
and  everything  was  noted  in  the  never-absent  pocket- 
book  for  future  reference. 

"  Aug.  I  \th. — My  father  gave  me  a  single-barrel  breech- 
loader gun;   17  guineas.     My  delight  is  great." 

'■'■Sept.  yd. — My  seventeenth  birthday.  Shot  eighteen 
brace  of  birds,  four  hares,  one  landrail.  5  feet  10  inches 
high,  weight  11  stone  6  lb.  Sam  gave  me  a  garnet  ring; 
Phil  a  gold  locket." 

In  October  of  the  same  year  he  was  with  his  parents 
on  another  yachting  excursion.  They  visited  the  island 
of  Alderney,  and,  in  spite  of  very  rough  weather,  man- 
aged to  enjoy  themselves.  James  writes  while  they  were 
still  off  Portsmouth  : 

"  Saturday,  the  22nd. — Weather  looks  worse,  though 
sea  rather  smoother.  Landed  in  boat,  and,  returning, 
got  caught  in  a  terrific  squall,  and  had  great  difficulty 
in  reaching  the  yacht.  Found  mother  and  the  crew 
greatly  frightened  for  us ;  the  former  in  tears.  We 
v/ere  an  hour  behind  our  time." 

"  Sunday,  the  2yd. — It  blew  furiously.  No  landing  for 
church.     Which  means  that  it  did  blow." 


JEt.  1 8.]  Religiously-minded.  27 

Coming  home  across  the  choppy  waters  of  the  Channel 
they  were  nearly  cut  down  by  the  West  Indian  Packet 
just  as  they  entered  the  Needles.  "We  had  watched 
her  approaching  for  more  than  an  hour,  and  as  we  were 
beating  up  on  the  right  tack,  and  every  foot  was  of  im- 
portance to  us,  the  captain  trusted  to  her  giving  wa)'^, 
but  she  evidently  expected  us  to  do  the  same,  and  kept 
on.  The  huge  monster  dashed  by  within  a  few  feet  of 
us.  The  men  shouted,  and  my  father  as  coolly  as  pos- 
sible fired  a  blue  light,  and  we  were  saved." 

The  following  entry  appears  in  the  diary  for  Decem- 
ber 30th  : — "  Father  went  on  deck  with  five  sovereigns 
in  one  hand  and  the  paper  in  which  they  had  been  wrap- 
ped in  the  other.  He  threw  the  sovereigns  overboard 
and  kept  the  paper.     He  was  much  vexed." 

The  verses  which  conclude  his  diary  for  1864  show 
that,  though  he  might  not  at  that  time  have  had  any  real 
and  vital  religion,  yet  that  he  was  religiously-minded, 
and  not  disinclined  to  think  seriously.  They  are  worth 
quoting  : 

"My  heart,  Lord,  may  I  ever  raise 
To  Thee  in  humble  thanks  and  praise 
For  keeping  me  throughout  this  year. 
Lord,  guard  and  guide  me  while  I'm  here, 
And  when  to  die  my  time  has  come, 
Oh  !  take  me  to  Thy  heavenly  home." 

A  further  proof  that  his  mind  was  beginning  to  bestir 
itself,  and  his  spirit  to  grope  after  something  reliable 
upon  which  it  might  lay  hold,  is  to  be  found  in  the  re- 
markable entry  made  against  March  6,  1865.  "Left  off 
mourning  for  Cardinal  Wiseman."  He  adds  a  little 
later  :  "  The  fact  is  that  about  this  time  I  nearly  turned 
Roman  Catholic  ;  but  my  faith  was  much  shaken  by 
reading  Cardinal  Manning's  funeral  sermon  for  the  above. 


28  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1865. 

Also  by  his  own  last  words,  'Let  me  have  all  the  Church 
can  do  for  me.'  I  seemed  to  see  at  once  that  if  the 
highest  ecclesiastic  stood  thus  in  need  of  external  rites 
oh  his  death-bed,  the  system  must  be  rotten,  and  I  shortly 
after  gave  up  all  idea  of  departing  from  our  Protestant 
faith." 

Only  once  again  did  he  ever  experience  any  leaning 
toward  the  Roman  Church,  when  for  a  single  moment 
he  thought  that  he  recognized  in  the  quiet  seclusion  of 
a  certain  cloister  the  soil  suitable  for  the  growth  of  the 
spiritual  life,  then  working  still  more  restlessly  within 
him.  But,  in  sooth,  James  Hannington  would  never 
have  made  a  "good"  Catholic  of  the  Roman  type,  much 
less  a  monk  who  would  have  been  tolerated  for  a  sin- 
gle day  by  any  "  Superior."  He  was  never  wont  to 
"think  by  the  bonnet,"*  and  his  sturdy  independence 
of  reasoning,  and  sound,  masculine  common-sense,  would 
have  soon  burst  through  the  cramping  enswathements 
of  the  Roman  system,  or  procured  him  a  speedy  and  em- 
phatic eviction  out  of  that  fold.  All  this  time  scarcely 
a  single  entry  in  the  diary  refers  to  the  "  business." 
Almost  all  his  time  seems  to  have  been  spent  on  board 
the  yacht.  Evidently  James  was  far  more  keen  to  culti- 
vate "horny  hands  and  weather-beaten  haffets"f  in 
many  a  conflict  with  the  salt-laden  winds  and  blue  rac- 
ing waves  of  the  open  Channel,  than  a  bold  commercial 
style  of  penmanship,  and  an  automatic  accuracy  in  tot- 
ting up  figures.  He  says  with  some  pride  :  "I  can  now 
sail  a  boat  uncommonly  well.  To-day  I  proposed  going 
across  to  France  in  the  wherry,  and  got  well  scolded  for 
the  suggestion." 

*  "  He  thinks  by  the  bonnet,  like  a  monk  in  Sorbonne." 

t  Cheeks.  Pascal  {Old  French  Proverb). 


vEt.  1 8.]  The  Sea  has  Charms  for  him.  29 

In  April  of  this  year  (1865)  he  paid  a  fortnight's  visit 
to  a  friend  at  Virginia  Water,  Capt.  Welsh,  "  Admiral 
of  the  Queen's  Rowing-boats." 

"  April  2>th. — After  dinner  a  croquet  party.  Prince 
Alfred  came  in  in  the  middle  of  it.     Saw  the  Queen." 

"  Api-il  10th. — Another  croquet  party,  which  was  sud- 
denly interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  the  Queen.  We  had 
to  scamper  off  indoors;  but  from  my  bed-room  window 
I  could  hear  the  Queen  laughing  and  chatting  in  a  most 
merry  way  to  Captain  Welsh." 

"  April  \']th. — Rode  with  Vernon.  Called  on  the  Mills. 
Coming  back,  was  playing  the  penny  whistle,  when  sud- 
denly met  the  Queen.  I  wonder  wdiat  she  thought  of 
my  performance !  " 

The  month  of  June  was  spent  on  board  the  Zdia.  A 
family  party  was  made  up  for  a  trip  by  sea  to  the  west 
coast  of  Scotland;  and  then  once  more  the  serious  busi- 
ness of  life  began,  and  James  turned  his  unwilling  feet 
to  the  unwelcome  warehouse.  He  says:  "I  left  the  dear 
yacht  and  returned  to  Brighton.  I  hoped  to  do  well; 
but,  alas!  it  was  not  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I 
never  could  like  the  business."  His  head  was  full  of  the 
sunny  western  sea ;  and  great  green  Atlantic  rollers 
breaking  over  the  half-hidden  fangs  of  treacherous 
reefs  ;  and  the  sloping  deck  of  the  yacht  under  pressure 
of  sail,  cutting  her  way  through  the  seething  water ; 
and  rocky  islands,  purple  against  flaming  skies  ;  and 
everything  but  the  adding  up  of  those  never-ending 
columns  of  figures,  and  the  acquirement  of  knowledge 
of  the  texture  of  merchantable  fabrics  in  that  terri- 
ble warehouse.  Had  a  business  career  been  seriously 
planned  for  him,  he  would,  perhaps,  have  been  kept 
more  rigorously  to  the  grindstone;  but  no  doubt  his 


30  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1865. 

parents  were  at  this  time  willing  to  allow  him  to  dis- 
cover for  himself,  by  actual  experience  of  life,  in  what 
direction  his  natural  bent  tended.  He  had,  accordingly, 
far  more  liberty  than  is  granted  to  most  boys  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  who  are  not  intended  for  a  life  of  idle- 
ness. 

It  is  very  noticeable  that,  under  this  treatment,  Han- 
nington never  displayed  the  least  tendency  to  pass  his 
time  in  lounging  about,  frequenting  the  clubs,  or  in  any 
way  leading  a  fast  life.  His  time  was  never  unoccu- 
pied— never  hung  heavy  on  his  hands.  He  was  never 
one  of  those  who  affect  to  be  superior  to  the  occupations 
and  amusements  of  every-day  life — who  yawn,  and  find 
nothing  to  interest  them  in  the  world.  He  always  had 
something  to  do — always  something  in  hand;  and  what 
he  did  undertake  he  carried  through  with  a  heartiness 
and  delighted  enthusiasm  which  never  failed  to  infect 
others  and  stir  them  up  to  co-operate.  It  was  this  fac- 
ulty which  made  him  the  very  life  and  centre  of  any 
circle  of  society  into  which  he  was  introduced.  His 
friends  often  found  themselves,  under  his  influence, 
working  might  and  main  for  the  achievement  of  some 
object  in  which  none  of  them  had  taken  the  slightest 
previous  interest,  but  which  Hannington  had  made  the 
all-important  object  of  the  hour. 

About  this  time  he  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  work  of  his  battery.  He  passed  his  examination  for 
promotion,  and  about  the  end  of  the  year  received  his 
commission  as  captain.  His  delight  was  boundless 
v/hen,  at  the  Artillery  Volunteer  Camp  at  Shoeburyness, 
the  Brighton  men  won  both  the  Palmerston  Prize  of  40 
guineas  and  the  Queen's  Prize  of  100  guineas.  His  own 
detachment  behaved  itself  very  creditably,  and  showed 
signs  of  careful  drilling.     I  find  this  entry  after  the  re- 


JEt.  1 8.]  At  the  Grand  Review.  31 

turn  from  the  camp  :  "  I  presented  a  gold  pin  to  Bomb. 
C.  for  good  shooting."  At  this  time,  also,  he  began  to 
show  signs  of  that  interest  in  the  welfare  of  young  men 
which  in  after  years  was  so  marked  a  feature  of  his  min 
istry.  He  took  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  procuring  for 
them  suitable  recreation  rooms,  and  personally  inspect- 
ed, tested,  and  bought  the  various  articles  necessary  for 
their  equipment.  He  organized  concerts,  readings,  and 
games,  and  made  himself  a  prime  favorite  with  the  men 
under  his  charge. 

Hannington  was  always  fond  of  telling  a  good  story 
against  himself.  Here  is  one  :  On  Easter  Monday, 
1866,  at  the  Grand  Review,  the  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales  being  present,  he  was  appointed  major  to  the 
battalion.  Right  proudly  he  jingled  along  upon  his 
gaily-caparisoned  charger.  Scarcely,  however,  had  they 
started,  when  that  horse,  unmindful  of  his  own  dignit}'' 
or  that  of  his  master,  took  the  bit  betv/een  his  teeth  and 
bolted.  Away  flew  James  in  full  view  of  the  admiring 
Prince  and  Royal  party.  First  his  horse  made  for  a  gap 
which  led  over  the  cliff  ;  from  thence,  being  hardly  turn- 
ed by  the  waving  arms  of  some  fisherfolk,  he  dashed 
down  the  pavement  and  ran  full  tilt  into  a  cart;  grazing 
this,  he  was  nearly  knocked  from  the  saddle  by  violent 
contact  with  a  cab-horse;  and  next,  still  sticking  bravely 
on,  he  charged  home  into  a  mounted  officer.  At  last, 
not  without  effort,  this  mad  career  was  checked,  and  the 
major  rode  back  to  his  post,  girth  broken  and  accoutre- 
ments all  awry,  amid  the  ironical  cheering  of  the  de- 
lighted crowd.  So  he  tells  us.  But  if  he  appeared, 
through  his  charger's  misdemeanor,  in  a  ridiculous  light 
that  day,  he  at  all  events  seems  to  have  enjoyed  the  oc- 
currence as  much  as  any  of  the  onlookers. 

The  same  spring,  the  Hanningtons  made  up  a  family 


22  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1866. 


party  for   a   long  yachting  trip  to  the  Mediterranean. 
James's  diary  has  the  following  : 

"■May  c)t/i. — Left  Brighton  with  Sam  and  Jos,  and 
found  father  and  mother  at  Lymington,  busy  putting  a 
few  finishing  touches.  Among  other  things  that  they 
have  added  to  one  of  the  best  fitted  and  most  comfort- 
able yachts  afloat,  is  a  steam-launch.  Scarcely  another 
yacht  has  one." 

This,  of  course,  was  in  1866.  They  landed  first  at 
Belem,  on  the  Tagus,  and  saw  all  that  was  to  be  seen. 
"  Got  permission  and  went  over  the  Castle,  which  is  ex- 
ceedingly picturesque,  and  built  of  marble.  They  are 
much  behindhand  in  gunnery — only  some  old  12-pound- 
ers  on  wooden  carriages,  painted  red.  The  sentry  sits 
about  and  smokes  in  the  most  casual  manner.  I  got 
into  conversation  with  the  guard,  and  showed  them  the 
manual  and  platoon.  One  spied  my  thumb,  and  at  once 
affirmed  for  me  that  I  had  lost  it  in  war." 

Gibraltar,  Algiers,  and  many  places  are  described  with 
much  patient  minuteness.  At  the  latter  place  he  bought 
a  young  jackal,  which  was  brought  home  with  him  as  a 
pet.  On  this  cruise  his  botanical  notes  begin  to  multi- 
ply; and  he  evidently  used  the  microscope  systematical- 
ly, and  to  good  purpose.  From  Naples,  James  and  his 
brothers  ascended  Vesuvius,  and  disported  themselves 
in  the  crater,  which  was  then  in  a  slight  state  of  erup- 
tion. At  Civita  Vecchia  they  went  on  board  the  Pope's 
yacht,  The Imviaculate  Conception,  "handsome  outside,  but 
very  dirty  in."  The  officer  in  command  paid  a  return 
visit  to  the  Zelia^  and  was  much  astonished  at  the  com- 
pleteness and  sumptuous  arrangements  of  the  English 
vessel. 

After  some  days  spent  in  Rome,  they  directed  their 


JEx..  19.]  In  the  Queen  s  Yacht.  33 

course  to  Genoa.  James  writes  :  *'The  war  has  broken 
out,  and  the  town  is  in  great  excitement.  The  citizens 
are  garrisoning  the  place,  but  present  anything  but  a 
military  appearance.  The  Garibaldians  seem,  to  the 
visual  eye,  an  awful  crew." 

But  we  need  not  enter  into  the  details  of  this  trip. 
The  boy  of  nineteen  chronicles  all  he  saw,  as  though  it 
had  never  been  seen  before,  and  never  might  be  again 
by  e3'e  of  mortal.  He  is  still  very  boyish,  pleased  to  be 
courted  and  admired  by  foreigners  as  "  one  of  the  lords 
from  the  English  yacht."  He  still  has  a  great  deal  to 
learn,  but  he  is  evidently  teachable,  and  by  the  grace  of 
God  he  will  learn  his  lesson. 

On  the  last  day  of  August,  Hannington  was  again  in 
Brighton  ;  and  the  next  day,  being  the  first  of  September, 
we  find  him,  indefatigable  and  keen,  carrying  his  single- 
barrel  breech-loader  over  the  turnips  and  stubbles.  He 
writes  :  "  Sam  and  I  killed  between  us  25^  brace  of  birds." 

'•''  Nov.  2,fd. — Riding  over  from  Brighton  to  shoot,  my 
horse  fell,  and  rolled  over  with  me  on  my  leg.  I  never 
said  anything  about  it,  lest  I  should  be  forbidden  to 
strain  the  leg  b)'-  going  out  shooting.  Killed  eighteen 
brace  of  pheasants." 

'■^  Nov.  gth. — Went  to  Mayor's  banquet,  and  delivered 
my  maiden  public  speech,  by  returning  thanks  for  the 
ladies  ;  received  great  eclat." 

"  iZG"],  Jan.  2>th. — Breakfast  and  meetat  Sir  J.  Simeon's. 
In  at  death." 

'' gih. — Went  across  in  Royal  yacht  Alberta  to  South- 
ampton, and  returned  with  Sir  Stafford  Northcote." 

^^  nth. — Crossed   again  with   Sir  Stafford;    inspected 
the  docks.     Treated  with  fearful  civility,  the  effect  of 
travelling  in  the  Queen's  yacht.     Returned  in  the  even- 
ing with  General  Gray." 
2* 


24  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1867. 


"  14///. — Left  Cowes  in  the  Alberta  with  Lady  Caroline 
Barrington,  and  returned  to  Hurstpierpoint." 

And  now  follows  a  very  singular  entry.  I  quote  it 
with  some  hesitation,  as  liable  by  the  unthinking  to  be 
misunderstood.  Those,  however,  who  have  had  some 
experience  in  tracing  the  strange  and  complex  move- 
ments of  the  human  soul,  and  who  have  noted  how,  side 
by  side,  are  to  be  found  there  the  workings  of  the  trivial 
and  the  tremendous,  will  know  how  to  read  this  passage. 
It  runs  thus  : 

"  Feb.  gth. — I  lost  my  ring  out  shooting,  with  scarcely 
a  hope  of  ever  seeing  it  again.  I  offered  to  give  the 
keeper  los.  if  he  found  it,  and  was  led  to  ask  God  that 
the  ring  might  be  found,  and  be  to  me  a  sure  sign  of 
salvation.  From  that  moment  the  ring  seemed  on  my 
finger  ;  I  was  not  surprised  to  receive  it  from  Sayers  on 
Monday  evening.  He  had  picked  it  up  in  the  long  grass 
in  cover,  a  most  unlikely  place  ever  to  find  it.  A  miracle  ! 
Jesus,  by  Thee  alone  can  we  obtain  remission  of  our  sins." 
He  adds,  in  a  note  written  several  years  afterwards  : 
"This  is  a  quotation  from  my  diary,  written  at  the  most 
worldly  period  of  my  existence."  It  was  written,  remem- 
ber, for  the  inspection  of  no  eye  but  his  own,  and,  there- 
fore, expressed,  without  doubt,  the  unfeigned  conviction 
of  the  moment.  As  we  have  seen  before,  he  was,  in  spite 
of  his  volatile  exterior,  by  no  means  devoid  of  religious 
thoughtfulness.  If  he  had  not,  as  yet,  any  intelligent 
apprehension  of  his  true  relationship  to  God,  he  never 
wholly  neglected  the  externals  of  religion.  He  had  al- 
ways "  a  secret  apprehension  "  that  there  was  a  better 
way.  Keenly  as  he  enjoyed  his  surroundings — and  no 
man  ever  entered  with  more  zest  into  the  pursuit  of  the 
moment— he  was  never  wholly  satisfied  with  a  life  apart 
from   God.     It  is  deeply  interesting  to   notice  in  this 


^t.  19.]  A   Cruise  in  the  Baltic.  35 

strange,  unreasoning  appeal  to  the  Unseen  by  the  care- 
less younker  in  his  momentary  vexation  over  the  loss  of 
a  trinket,  the  early  traces  of  that  assured  and  reasonable, 
though  childlike,  trust  in  God  which  so  distinguished 
him  in  later  life,  and  marked  him  pre-eminently  above 
his  fellows  as  a  man  of  faith. 

He  next  mentions  that  he  was  "  carrying  on  an  inter- 
esting correspondence  with  Frank  Buckland  about  a 
surface  net  when  yachting."  I  believe  that  he  never  be- 
came personally  acquainted  with  the  eminent  practical 
naturalist.  Had  they  met,  they  w^ould  have  found  in 
each  other  congenial  spirits. 

After  a  short  trip  to  Paris  in  the  spring,  James  Han- 
nington  and  his  brothers  started  for  a  cruise  in  the 
Baltic,  and  a  visit  to  some  of  the  cities  of  Russia.  The 
following  entry  in  his  diary  marks  the  event : 

^^  June  ^th,  1867. — Yacht  Zelia,  195  tons.  Underway 
9  A.  M.    Abreast  Brighton,  3.40.    Off  Beachy  Head,  5.15." 

Christiania,  Copenhagen,  Stockholm,  etc.,  were  all  in- 
spected with  intelligent  eyes.  While  at  the  latter  place, 
he  wrote:  "The  King,  when  we  went  over  the  palace, 
had  just  left  a  cabinet  council,  and  during  the  discus- 
sion had  sketched  a  tree  and  a  face  on  a  sheet  of  paper. 
The  guide's  contempt  when  I  asked  for  this  was  su- 
preme. If  he  was  a  fair  example,  Stockholmers  are  not 
overweeningly  proud  of  their  monarch." 

They  then  spent  a  week  in  St.  Petersburg  and  Mos- 
cow, keenly  entering  into  the  delights  of  everything 
that  was  going  in  the  way  of  entertainment,  and 
toward  the  end  of  July  set  their  faces  again  homeward. 
An  incident  which  throws  light  upon  Hannington's 
character  occurred  on  the  return  voyage.  The  elder 
brother,  who  was  in  command  of  the  expedition,  having 


36  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1867. 


been  recalled  home  by  domestic  affairs  which  required 
his  presence,  the  leadership  fell  to  James.  He  at  once 
took  the  reins,  and  held  them  with  no  uncertain  hand. 
He  writes:  "The  men  have  of  late  been  very  disorderly, 
and  getting  worse,  so,  on  my  assuming  command,  I  in- 
stantly gave  them  my  mind  on  the  subject,  and  told 
them  that  in  future  any  man  breaking  leave  would  be 
discharged.  The  first  to  do  so,  as  it  happened,  was  the 
captain,  who  remained  ashore,  and,  by  his  own  confes- 
sion, helplessly  drunk."  The  captain  had  no  doubt  that 
he  would  be  able  to  make  it  all  right  with  the  young 
commander.  But  he  reckoned  without  his  host.  Dis- 
cipline was  at  stake.  Hannington  felt  that  now  or  never 
was  the  lime  to  assert  his  authority,  and  in  such  cir- 
cumstances he  was  not  accustomed  to  hesitate  for  a 
moment.  To  the  astonishment  of  the  whole  crew,  and 
not  less  so  of  the  culprit  himself,  the  captain  was  there 
and  then  sent  ashore  with  all  his  belongings.  After  this 
dreadful  example  the  crew  gave  no  more  trouble.  They 
recognized  the  fact  that  they  had  one  at  the  head  of 
affairs  who  might  be  expected  to  execute  what  he 
threatened,  and,  after  the  manner  of  sailors,  they  liked 
him  none  the  worse  for  it.  He  was  fortunate  enough 
not  to  suffer  himself  on  account  of  this  prompt  act  of 
justice.  He  writes:  "I  met  Captain  Van  Deurs,  a  very 
gentlemanly  man,  and  well  recommended,  whom  I  en- 
gaged, and  an  immense  success  he  turned  out."  The 
next  day  they  stopped  a  fishing  smack  off  the  coast 
of  Denmark  to  buy  some  cod.  The  fishermen  asked 
whether  the  yacht  belonged  to  the  King  of  England. 
"  *  No,  there  is  no  King  ;  England  is  ruled  by  a  Queen.' 
'  Then  it  must  belong  to  the  Prince  of  Wales.  That; 
pointing  to  me,  '  is  the  Prince  of  Wales.'  No  answer  on 
Van   Deurs'  part  confirmed  them  in  their  idea,  and  left 


JEt.  19.]      Not  fitted  for  a  "  Business "  Career.  37 

them  full  of  joy  to  return  to  their  native  village  and 
pass  the  rest  of  their  lives  as  the  men  who  had  seen 
and  talked  with  the  Prince  who  had  married  their  own 
popular  Princess  !  " 

^^Jidy  26th. — Fell  in  with  a  tremendous  gale,  which 
came  suddenly  upon  us  with  a  rising  glass.  All  sails 
were  set  at  the  time,  and  I  was  alone  on  deck,  the  men 
being  at  tea.  I  rushed  forward  and  shouted,  '  All  hands 
shorten  sail  ! '  and  in  half  an  hour's  time  we  were  laid 
to  with  the  water  washing  over  us  most  uncomfortably. 
Carried  away  our  jibboom  while  pitching  into  a  sea;  it 
was  a  splendid  stick  too.  Three  men  were  washed  over- 
board by  a  huge  wave  while  clearing  the  wreckage;  but 
the  next  wave  flung  them  back  on  to  the  deck.  After 
laying  to  for  sixteen  hours,  and  drifting  about  help- 
lessly, scarce  knowing  how  matters  would  end,  there 
was  a  slight  lull.  I  ordered  the  jib  to  be  set,  but  it  was 
blown  to  ribbons;  so  we  waited  a  little  longer,  and  then 
set  the  storm  jib  and  were  able  to  continue.  For  two 
days  we  were  without  the  sun,  but  the  captain  made 
the  land  by  our  soundings.  The  soundings  were  very 
interesting.  The  lard  at  the  bottom  of  the  lead  brought 
up  light  silver-like  sand  off  the  Danish  coast,  which 
gradually  grew  darker,  until  almost  black  off  the  coast 
of  England." 

With  this  trip  we  may  bring  Chapter  III.  to  an  end. 
It  marks  the  conclusion  of  a  period  in  his  life.  As  his 
character  was  formed  and  his  disposition  became  more 
marked,  his  nature  asserted  itself  more  and  more  defi- 
nitely against  a  "  business  "  career.  Of  whatever  else 
in  life's  arena  he  might  be  capable,  in  that  at  least  he 
felt  that  he  could  never  excel.  His  heart  was  not  in  it. 
Surely  something  else  might  be  found  for  him — some 


38  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1867. 

other  vocation — a  real  vocation  to  which  his  heart  might 
respond,  as  to  that  for  which  he  was  created  and  brought 
into  this  world;  not  a  mere  line,  grooved  out  for  him  by 
the  industry  of  his  forefathers. 

But  how  the  emancipation  took  place  must  be  re- 
served for  another  chapter. 


1 


CHAPTER   IV. 

EMANCIPATION. 
(1867—68.) 

"  He  was  never  a  Sceptick  in  his  Principles,  but  still  retained  a 
secret  Apprehension  that  Religion  .  .  .  was  founded  in  Truth,  and 
this  Conviction  ....  could  not  but  occasion  some  secret  Misgiv- 
ings of  Heart." 

Doddridge  {Life  of  Colonel  Gardiner). 

One  thing,  and  one  thing  only,  had,  for  some  time 
past,  prevented  Hannington  from  shaking  himself  free 
from  the  harness  which  galled  him,  and  in  which  he  felt 
that  he  could  not  hope  to  run  life's  course  with  any 
prospect  of  credit  or  success.  Both  his  training  and 
temperament  made  him  unwilling  to  run  counter  to  the 
wishes  of  his  father,  and  he  could  not  bear  the  thought 
of  inflicting  the  slightest  pain,  or  even  of  causing  the 
shadow  of  disappointment  to  fall  upon  the  mother  whom 
he  adored.  About  this  time,  however,  he  made  a  tenta- 
tive effort  at  freedom.  He  v/rote  to  his  father  with  re- 
gard to  the  general  impression  of  his  friends  as  to  his 
unfitness  for  a  commercial  life,  saying,  "  I  know  that  I 
am  laughed  at,  and  looked  upon  as  fit  for  nothing  but 
collecting  curiosities."  In  fine,  he  desired  that  some- 
thing else  more  congenial  to  him  might  be  found,  upon 
which  he  might  exercise  his  superabundant  energies. 
He  says  in  his  diary:  "  Sam  proposed  that  I  should  take 
to  farming  ;  and  there  was  nothing  I  thought  I  should 
like  better.  But  my  father,  who  had  had  a  taste  of 
farming  himself  when  young,  would  not  hear  of  it.     My 

(39) 


40  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1867. 

mother  wrote,  saying:  *  Your  letter  was  kindly  and  sens- 
ibly expressed,  but  it  brought  floods  of  tears  to  my 
eyes.  The  bare  thought  of  my  sweet  boy  going  where 
his  father  and  mother  could  not  see  him  from  time  to 
time  distracts  me;  father,  too,  said  he  could  not  bear  it.' 
Seeing  that  my  mother  took  it  so  tremendously  to  heart, 
I  was  ashamed  that  I  ever  suggested  giving  up  my  work; 
and  so  for  the  time  I  gave  up  all  thought  of  leaving 
home,  and  endeavored  to  settle  down  once  more  quietly 
and  contentedly.  My  mother's  and  father's  love  devoted 
my  heart  to  them.  I  felt  that  I  had  sinned  grievously 
in  even  suggesting  what  might  give  them  pain." 

The  matter,  however,  was  not  to  rest  here.  "  There 
is  a  Divinity  that  shapes  our  ends,"  and  Hannington 
was  not  to  be  shaped  by  any  parental  wishes — dutiful 
resolutions  on  his  own  part  notwithstanding — into  the 
ordinary  type  of  a  British  merchant  citizen. 

The  first  blow  struck  upon  his  shackles  was,  after  all, 
dealt  by  the  hand  of  his  father.  It  happened  in  this 
wise.  The  family  had  been  hitherto,  at  least  nominally. 
Independents.  Mr.  Hannington  had  built  a  chapel  in 
the  grounds  of  St.  George's,  in  which  Nonconformist 
services  were  held.  Finding,  however,  after  a  wide  ex- 
perience of  men  and  things,  that  they  had  no  serious 
quarrel  with  the  Church  of  England,  he  and  his  family 
decided  that  they  would  seek  admittance  into  her  com- 
munion. At  the  end,  therefore,  of  1867,  St.  George's 
Chapel  was  licensed  for  public  worship  by  the  Bishop 
of  Chichester,  and  the  charge  of  it  became  a  curacy — 
virtually  a  sole  charge — under  the  Rector  of  Hurstpier- 
point.     James  writes: 

''Sunday,  Oct.  26///.— The  last  Sunday  of  the  dissenting 
ministers  in  St.  George's  Chapel.     Mr.  Hart  preached 


Mt.  20.]  Joins  the  CJnirch.  41 

the  farewell  sermon  with  a  good  deal  of  true  emotion. 
He  and  his  wife  were  pensioned  by  my  father,  the  pen- 
sion to  continue  for  the  last  survivor's  life.  Little  did  I 
think  that  I  v/as  ever  to  occupy  that  pulpit.  Perhaps 
the  old  man  prayed  for  me." 

"Dec.  14///. — Opening  service  at  St.  George's.  Mr. 
Methuen,  the  rector,  preached  a  splendid  and  most  suit- 
able sermon  ;  spoke  very  kindly  of  my  father.  Preached 
also  in  the  afternoon  to  a  crowded  congregation." 

The  consequence  of  this  important  step  on  the  part  of 
his  father  was  that  Hannington  was  brought  much  into 
contact  with  Churchmen  of  whom  he  had  known  little 
previously.  He  says  :  "This  year  (1868)  was  most  event- 
ful to  me.  Through  the  change  from  dissent  to  the 
Church  I  got  to  know  the  clergy  of  the  parish  church 
and  college.  I  yearned  for  ordination.  My  mother  had 
once  or  twice  spoken  about  it,  and  felt  my  mind  on  the 
subject,  so  I  knew  that  she  would  offer  no  objections." 
After  some  self-examination,  however,  he  was  led  to  con- 
clude that  his  increasing  dissatisfaction  with,  and  loath- 
ing for,  the  business  at  Brighton  had  more  to  do  with 
his  desire  for  Orders  than  any  other  motive.  "  I  had  it 
fixed  upon  my  mind  that  I  was  to  be  ordained,"  he  says, 
"  but  as  for  real  motives  I  had  none,  or  next  to  none.  I 
was,  I  fear,  a  mere  formalist,  and  nothing  more." 

However  that  may  have  been,  there  are  not  wanting 
indications  in  his  diarjr  that  he  was  thinking  seriously 
at  times.  His  was  far  too  honest  a  nature  to  permit  him. 
to  take  any  step  which  did  not  secure  the  hearty  concur- 
rence of  his  will  and  intellect.  He  could  never  have  be- 
come a  "  mere  formalist."  He  had  too  much  humanity 
about  him,  and  too  much  enthusiasm  within  him  to  have 
permitted    that.     A  mere    secular   organizer   he    might 


42  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1868 

have  perhaps  become  ;  enforcing  zealously,  and  by  the 
power  of  his  own  personality,  dogmas  which  lacked  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  commend  them.  But  from 
this,  too,  he  was  saved,  as  will  appear  in  the  course  of 
our  narrative. 

To  outward  appearance  he  was  still  as  gay,  thought- 
less, and  reckless  as  ever.  Delighting  to  startle  his 
friends  by  some  extraordinary  feat  of  personal  courage 
or  endurance,  by  eccentric  acts  which  could  only  ema- 
nate from  "Jim,"  it  was  not  easy  to  associate  with  this 
madcap  the  serious  business  of  life.  But  the  following 
entry  will  show  that  in  his  heart  he  was  neither  a  care- 
less nor  indifferent  spectator  of  the  mystery  of  life,  or  of 
the  set  of  the  world-tide  toward  Eternity. 

"About  this  time,"  he  writes  many  years  later,  "John 
Thurston  *  came  to  stay  with  us  ;  very  ill  ;  he  lingered 
a  long  time  ;  when  he  was  told  that  his  case  was  hope- 
less, he  not  only  seemed  resigned,  but,  as  far  as  one 
could  tell,  just  touching  the  hem  of  the  Saviour's  gar- 
ment. He  died  on  June  6th,  1868,  and  was  buried  in 
Hurst  churchyard,  in  our  family  vault.  I  was  in  Brigh- 
ton the  night  he  died,  and  at  the  exact  time  of  his  death 
I  had  one  of  those  peculiar  warnings— an  internal  thrill 
— which  told  me  certainly  that  he  was  gone.  My  diary 
reads  thus  : 

"■June  6f/i. — John  worse  ;  about  one  p.m.  he  took  his 
leave  of  me.  About  four,  at  his  own  express  desire,  he 
received  the  Sacrament  from  Mr.  Methuen,  surrounded 
by  us  all.  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  Brighton  at  five.  As 
I  was  sitting  at  supper  I  had  a  heavy  palpitation  of  the 
heart.  Something  said  to  me,  'John  is  dead  !  *  I  took 
out  my  watch  frightened.     The  hour  was  ten  p.m. 

*  A  cousin. 


^t.  20.]  First  Communion.  43 

'"'"jth,  Sunday. — Got  up  at  4.30.  a.m.  ;  walked  down  to 
see  John,  if  not  gone,  though  I  was  sure  he  was  dead. 
Went  straight  to  the  doctor's  room.  Heard  that  he  died 
at  two  minutes  past  teti  o'clock  !  " 

The  Lenten  season  of  this  year  Hannington  kept 
with  much  severity,  fasting  rigorously  in  private  every 
Wednesday  and  Friday. 

On  April  23d  he  wrote  to  his  mother,  saying:  "  I  have 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Church.  I  believe. that  God  is 
with  me  in  this  matter." 

On  July  5th  he  received  the  Holy  Communion  for  the 
first  time.  He  wrote  in  his  diary:  "  I  am  afraid  whether 
I  am  fit.  I  was  not  so  fixed  in  thought  as  I  wished." 
Shortly  after,  something  that  he  read  in  a  "  fairy  tale," 
or  some  train  of  thought  started  by  some  expression  in 
the  book  he  held  in  his  hand,  led  him  to  self-examina- 
tion. He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his  frame  of  mind 
was  not  what  it  should  be,  and  that  he  needed  bracing 
up  to  his  duties,  both  religious  and  secular.  He  writes, 
"Prayer  refreshed  m.e."  It  was  not  yet  very  intelligent 
prayer  ;  but  it  was  the  petition  of  a  soul  seeking, 
though  with  much  blind  groping,  after  a  higher  life, 
and,  as  such,  was  doubtless  heard  and  answered  by  the 
Eternal  Father. 

The  next  day's  entry  runs  thus  :  "  I  have  to-day  been 
much  better  in  work.  It  comes  easier  to  me  when  I 
watch  and  pray." 

At  this  period  of  his  spiritual  development  the  func- 
tions of  the  Church  evidently  exercised  a  strong  fascina- 
tion over  him.  He  made  a  point  of  being  present  when 
anything  was  being  done  by  the  clergy  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Within  a  fortnight  we  find  him  at  the  laying  of 
two  foundation-stones  of  ecclesiastical  buildings,  and 
listening   with    admiration    to    speeches    made    by  the 


44  James  Hannmgton.  [A.D.  1868. 

Bishops  of  Chichester,  and  Oxford.  He  threw  himself 
with  his  accustomed  energy  into  this  newly-found  chan- 
nel for  his  activity.  He  inaugurated,  in  connection  with 
the  Church  Harvest-Home  Festival,  the  first  sports  that 
had  been  known  in  Hurstpierpcint.  He  was  to  be  seen 
frequently  at  services  in  the  parish  church,  or  at  choral 
and  other  festivals.  He  waited  diligently  upon  the  lips 
of  such  distinguished  preachers  as  might  come  within 
possible  distance  of  his  home.  His  mind  was  apparent- 
ly just  in  that  condition  in  which  a  permanent  bias,  one 
way  or  the  other,  might  have  been  imparted  to  it  had  he 
been  brought  into  contact  with  one  strong  enough  to 
exercise  a  controlling  influence  over  him,  and  willing  to 
use  it. 

But  his  time  had  not  yet  come.  If  the  town  of  Man- 
soul  was  beginning  to  feel  the  stress  of  the  siege,  it  was 
by  no  means  yet  taken,  or  even  ready  to  be  taken  by 
assault.  The  volatile  and  fun-loving  nature  of  the 
young  man  soon  resumed  its  sway  over  him,  the  newly- 
fanned  flame  of  ecclesiastical  ardor  soon  paled  and 
died  down,  and  though  he  certainly  never  repudiated 
religion,  it  is  equally  certain  that,  for  some  years  to 
come,  he  laid  no  claim  to  be  esteemed  "  religious." 

One  important  acquaintanceship,  formed  shortly  after 
he  came  of  age,  was  destined  to  exercise  a  very  happy 
and  altogether  beneficial  influence  upon  his  character. 
He  was  introduced  to  Dean  Burgon,  then  Fellow  of 
Oriel,  at  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law.  Archdeacon 
Rose.  Hannington  writes  concerning  him:  "He  is  so 
kind,  and  seems  to  take  a  great  interest  in  me,  and  gives 
me  kind  advice,  which  I  hope  that  I  shall  follow.  He 
soon  perceives  a  fault.  He  stops  to  play  with  all  the 
small  children  he  sees.  Mrs.  Rose  frequently  says  to 
him,  '  Dear  John,  I  wish  they  would  make  you  a  canon  '; 


^t.  21.]  Dean  Burgon.  45 

and  he  seems  to  regard  himself  as  not  at  all  worthy  of 
such  promotion.  Sunday  was  spent  by  us  all,  Burgon 
and  myself  included,  in  taking  classes  in  the  Sunday- 
school.  He  preached  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  took 
me  with  him  for  a  walk." 

Kind  attention  bestowed  upon  a  young  man  is  seldom 
wasted.  In  Hannington's  case  his  esteem  for  Dean 
Burgon  helped  to  ballast  him,  and  was  no  insignificant 
quantity  in  his  University  life. 

His  college  friends  used  to  watch  him,  with  an  amused 
surprise,  wending  his  way  every  Sunday  evening  to  the 
Greek  Testament  class  which  Dean  Burgon  held  in  his 
rooms  in  Oriel.  But  he  was  not  to  be  dissuaded.  I  do 
not  recollect  that  he  ever  missed  that  class  when  he 
could  by  any  possibility  attend  it.  How  can  it  be 
doubted  that,  though  his  spiritual  nature  was  not  as  yet 
sufficiently  awakened  to  enable  him  to  enjoy  Bible  study 
for  its  own  sake,  those  Bible  classes  did  him  good  ? 
They  and  the  society  of  the  good  and  sincere  man  who 
conducted  them,  and  whose  original  personality  com- 
mended him  in  an  especial  manner  to  the  heart  of  Han- 
nington,  were  safeguards  and  a  sort  of  sheet-anchors, 
which  helped  to  keep  him  from  drifting  whither  so 
many  have  suffered  shipwreck. 

So,  then,  with  the  full  consent  of  his  parents,  the  first 
step  was  taken  which  severed  him  from  a  commercial 
life,  and  it  was  decided  that  James  Hannington  should, 
in  due  time,  seek  for  ordination  as  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  Eng^land. 


CHAPTER  V. 

LIFE    AT     OXFORD. 

(1868—69.) 

"  Not  in  the  sunshine,  not  in  the  rain, 
Not  in  the  night  of  the  stars  untold, 
Shall  we  ever  all  meet  again, 

Or  be  as  we  were  in  the  days  of  old. 

"  But  as  ships  cross,  and  more  cheerily  go. 
Having  changed  tidings  upon  the  sea, 
So  I  am  richer  by  them,  I  know. 

And  they  are  not  poorer,  I  trust,  by  me." 

Walter  Smith. 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1868,  James  Hannington's 
name  was  entered  as  a  Commoner  in  the  books  of  St. 
Mary  Hall,  Oxford.  My  own  personal  recollections  of 
him  date  from  this  time.  Eighteen  years  have  passed 
since  then.  Later  events  have  crowded  out  from  my 
mind  many  of  the  earlier  memories  of  my  life,  and  the 
lichen  growth  of  time  is  slowly  but  surely  effacing  some 
of  the  most  deeply-grooved  impressions.  Nevertheless 
I  can  still  without  difficulty  recall  the  moment  when  I 
first  heard  the  sound  of  his  voice.  Why  the  impression 
of  that  moment  should  have  lingered  with  me  I  cannot 
tell,  except  that  his  voice  was  a  singular  one — in  timbre 
quite  unlike  any  other  voice  which  I  have  ever  heard. 

I  was  seated,  a  solitary  freshman,  in  a  dark  little  room 
which  was  usually  allotted  to  the  last  comer.  The  sin- 
gle kince-window  looked  out  upon  the  "  Quad,"  with  its 
paved  walks,  square  patch  of  grass,  and  central  clump 
(46) 


JEt.  21.]  His   Voice.  47 

of  dwarf  shrubs.  A  little  disconsolate  and  lonely  was  I 
at  that  moment,  wondering  what  sort  of  companions 
those  might  prove  among  whom  my  lot  was  to  be  cast 
during  the  next  three  years  or  so.  As  I  sat  in  somewhat 
melancholy  mood  amongst  the  cups  and  saucers,  decan- 
ters, and  tumblers,  brand-new  kettle  and  tea-pot,  and 
other  paraphernalia  of  a  student's  housekeeping,  which 
had  been  sent  in  that  afternoon  by  various  tradesmen, 
my  attention  was  arrested  by  a  passing  group  of  men 
who  cast  a  heavy  shadow  through  the  narrow  window. 
They  were  talking  loudly,  but  one  voice  separated  itself 
distinctly  from  the  others.  I  was  keenly  alive  to  every 
new  impression,  and  the  tone  of  that  voice  remained 
with  me. 

It  was  half  plaintive,  half  petulant,  but,  withal,  wholly 
attractive.  I  fell  to  picturing  to  myself  what  kind  of 
man  the  owner  of  that  voice  might  me.  The  following 
day  I  was  introduced  to  him,  and  for  the  first  time  set 
my  eyes  on  James  Hannington. 

Let  me  try  and  describe  him  as  he  was  when  he  made 
his  first  appearance  in  St.  Mar3r  Hall,  as  a  freshman,  in 
the  autumn  of  1868.  A  tall,  well-proportioned  young 
fellow,  with  somewhat  loosely  and  pliably  set  figure, 
that  gave  promise  of  both  activity  and  power.  Careless 
in  his  dress — rather  affecting  a  soft  white  hat,  broad- 
soled  boots,  and  a  general  abandoft  of  costume.  His  face 
was  the  very  index  to  his  character.  I  have  before  me, 
as  I  write,  some  dozen  photographs  which  were  taken 
between  the  years  '68  and  '85.  During  that  time  the 
face  has  filled  out  and  matured,  but  it  is  substantially 
the  same.  He  was  then  in  his  twenty-first  year,  of  pale, 
rather  sallow,  complexion.  A  mouth,  the  pouting  lips 
of  which  seemed  half-humorously  to  protest  against  life 
in  general.     A  pair  of  clear  gray  eyes,  which  twinkled 


48  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1868. 

with  latent  fun,  though  deep  set  beneath  projecting 
brows  which  suggested  unusual  powers  of  observation 
and  penetration.  A  nose  not  too  prominent,  but  sharp 
and  inquiring,  the  nostrils  of  it  readily  expanding  when 
moved  by  indignation.  (He  used,  after  his  first  African 
journey,  to  delight  in  telling  how  the  natives  would 
compare  it  to  a  spear  !)  The  chin  firm  set,  and  jaws 
square,  without  any  too-marked  massiveness.  The  ears, 
not  lying  close  to  the  head,  but  set  at  rather  an  angle. 
A  face  combative,  yet  attractive.  Volatile,  }^et  full  of 
latent  strength.  Assertive,  yet  retiring.  Altogether, 
quite  a  noticeable  face  and  figure:  not  by  any  means  to 
be  ignored.  The  outer  clothing  of  a  nature  capable  of 
great  things,  if  seized  and  moulded  by  the  Divine  Spirit. 
What  otherwise — who  might  venture  to  prophesy  ? 

Carlyle  professes  to  attach  much  significance  to  a 
man's  laughter.  He  says,  "  How  much  lies  in  laughter; 
the  cipher  key  wherewith  we  decipher  the  whole  man  ! 
....  The  fewest  are  able  to  laugh  what  we  call  laugh- 
ing." *  Hannington  would  so  far  have  satisfied  his  re- 
quirements. None  who  have  heard  his  laugh  can  surely 
ever  forget  it.  When  he  laughed  the  spirit  of  laughter 
took  full  possession  of  him,  and  shook  him  sorely  before 
it  would  let  him  go.  His  laughter  was  contagious,  he 
so  evidently  enjoyed  it ;  it  came  welling  up  with  such 
wild,  uncontrollable  waves,  that  one  found  himself  irre- 
sistibly compelled  to  give  way  and  join  in  too,  aye,  till 
the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks,  out  of  pure  sympathy. 

His  voice  was,  as  I  have  said  before,  unlike  any  other; 
at  least,  any  other  that  I  have  ever  heard.  It  was  not 
unmusical ;  of  considerable  power  too  ;  but  with  a  cer- 
tain plaintive  quaver  in  it,— a  certain  staccato  thrusting 


*  Sartor  Resartns. 


JEi.  21.]  Takes  the  College  by  Storm.  4g 

forth  of  single  words  and  short  sentences  that  was 
strangely  characteristic  of  its  owner.  A  sort  of  inter- 
mittent fountain,  it  corresponded  with  his  movements. 

These,  like  his  voice,  were  not  smooth  or  even.  He 
was  far  from  being  awkward;  there  was  even  a  certain 
easy  power  in  all  that  he  did  which  was  not  far  removed 
from  graceful  bearing,  yet  it  was  as  though  he  studiously 
avoided  conventional  attitudes.  When  he  walked,  he 
walked  with  his  whole  body  and  shoulders;  but  whether 
he  walked,  stood,  or  sat,  he  was  distinctly  himself,  and 
never  quite  like  anybody  else.  When  I  first  saw  him, 
he  was  leaning  against  the  lintel  of  the  door  which 
opened  from  his  own  staircase  upon  the  Quadrangle. 
He  was  surrounded  by  a  group  of  men,  all  seniors,  with 
whom  he  was  chatting,  and  evidently  on  the  best  of 
terms.  To  my  freshman's  eyes,  beholding  with  awe- 
struck reverence  those  second  and  third  year  men,  Han- 
nington's  audacity  in  thus  taking  the  college  by  storm 
seemed  boundless.  It  was  evident  that,  though  a  fresh- 
man, he  had  already  been  received  into  their  circle,  and 
that  the  seniors  regarded  him  as  an  acquisition  to  their 
society. 

Perhaps  this  was  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  he 
came  up  to  Oxford  with  more  experience  of  the  world 
than  many  others;  it  was  more  probably  owing  to  the  irre- 
sistible magnetism  of  his  genial  good  fellowship,  coupled 
with  his  decided  individuality  and  force  of  character ; 
but,  from  whatever  cause,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
he  almost  immediately  began  to  exercise  an  influence 
over  his  fellow-students,  and  that  he  shortly  established 
for  himself  an  ascendency  over  them  which  he  main- 
tained without  a  rival  until  the  end  of  his  University 
course. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Hannington  was  an  industrious 
3 


50  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1868. 

student.     On  the  contrary,  the  golden  opportunity  of 
those  undergraduate  years  was  missed  by  him,  as  by  so 
many  others  who  vainly  regret,  but  cannot  recall,  what 
they  then  despised.      Not   that  he  was   ever  a  dunce. 
What  he  chose  to  learn — and  he  learned  everything  that 
interested  him — he  knew  accurately  and  thoroughly.    In 
chemistry,  botany,  natural  history,  and  general  science 
he  was  singularly  well  grounded,  and,  as  a  student  of 
medicine,  he  would  probably  have  taken  a  high  degree. 
But  for  classics  he  had  very  little  taste.     He  had  never 
gone  through   that  course  of  patient  gerund-grinding 
and  grammar-grating  by  which  public  school-boys  are 
broken  in,  and  he  was  by  nature  very  impatient  of  any 
yoke  which  compelled  him  to  plod  continuously  along 
the  line  of  a  given  furrow.    Some  seven  years,  moreover, 
had  elapsed  since  he  left  school,  and  what  slight  smat- 
tering of  classic  lore  he  had  there  acquired  must  have, 
by  this  time,  almost  passed  from  him.     Add  to  which 
fact  the  consideration  that  the  whole  previous  training 
of  his  life  had  not  been  such  as  to  fit  him  for  close  study, 
or  to  accustom  him  to  endure  the  strain  of  continual 
intellectual  effort. 

We  have  it  on  no  less  an  authority  than  that  of  Pliny, 
that  "  the  mind  is  aroused  to  action  by  the  active  exer- 
cise of  the  body."  This  may  be  accepted  if  we  under- 
stand by  ''active  exercise"  sufficient  exercise  to  coun- 
teract the  evils  of  a  sedentary  life.  But  we  are  inclined 
to  think  that  more  than  this  is  apt  .'"o  have  a  contrary 
effect  upon  the  mind,  and  by  over-development  of  the 
bodily  faculties,  check  the  development  of  the  mental. 
There  is  no  time  when  we  are  less  disposed  to  think 
continuously  or  deeply  than  when  we  are  making  some 
great  physical  effort,  or  enjoying  the  excitement  of  a 
life  of  constant  movement.     Hannington  had  hitherto 


^t.  21.]  An   Uiidergraduates  Room.  51 

given  himself  little  time  to  think,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  had  never  been  idle.  That  he  was  slow  in  de- 
veloping those  mental  powers  which,  if  earlier  matured, 
might  have  secured  for  him  the  honors  of  the  "schools," 
may  be  attributed  largely  to  those  constant  excursions 
and  voyages  by  which  his  love  of  adventure  had  been 
indulged.  It  must  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  he  had 
had,  until  now,  no  direct  incentive,  or  even  encourage- 
ment, to  study.  On  the  contrary,  he  had  been  taught 
that  he  might  dispense  with  learning,  the  absence  of 
which  had  proved  no  bar  to  the  success  of  either  his 
father  or  grandfather.  It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  it 
took  some  time  for  him  to  shake  himself  down  into  the 
course  of  the  University  curriculum,  and  that  his  degree 
was  somewhat  delayed  in  consequence. 

Hannington's  rooms  in  St.  Mary  Hall  bore  witness  to 
his  wanderings.  They  were  large  and  airy;  oak  panelled 
from  floor  to  ceiling.  In  one  corner,  over  a  drawer  cabi- 
net full  of  curiosities  and  specimens,  hung  two  gilt  and 
painted  Icons  from  Moscow.  Opposite  was  a  curious 
drawing  of  a  terrier's  head,  burnt  with  a  branding  iron 
upon  a  panel  of  some  hard  wood,  and  picked  up  I  know 
not  where.  Conspicuous  was  a  portrait  of  his  mother,  a 
dignified  and  handsome  lady,  with  much  facial  likeness 
to  her  son.  Elsewhere,  a  rack  full  of  whips  and  sticks 
of  every  size  and  shape.  A  miscellaneous  heap  of  nar- 
whal's and  swordfish's  horns,  old  weapons  and  what  not, 
filled  up  a  corner.  A  shady  place  was  found  for  a  con- 
siderable glass  tank,  wherein  various  fish,  including  a 
young  jack,  disported  themselves.  Add  to  all  this  pic- 
tures, china,  bric-a-brac,  and  ornaments  of  the  usual  type, 
a  plentiful  stock  of  lounging  chairs,  with  a  good,  capa- 
cious sofa  of  the  old-fashioned  square  kind  ;  bookcases 
fairly  well  filled,  especially  with  works  on  natural  his- 


52  James  Hannington.  [A.D,  1868. 

tory  ;  portfolios  full  of  scraps,  and  deep,  red-cushioned 
window  embrasures  in  which  to  double  up  the  limbs  and 
cosily  con  the  same,  and  you  will  have  a  fair  idea  of  what 
those  rooms  were  like. 

Here  Hannington  kept  open  house.  Here  his  friends 
were  wont  to  assemble,  and  here  a  frank  and  kindly  wel- 
come always  awaited  all  who  were  congenial. 

While  Hannington  had  in  him  all  the  elements  of 
popularity,  and  never  failed  to  make  himself  liked,  he 
did  not  go  out  of  his  way  to  make  friends.  He  was  not 
much  inclined  at  tliis  time  to  "suffer  fools  gladly."  He 
would  form  strong  and  apparently  instinctive  antipathies 
against  certain  persons,  antipathies  for  which  he  could 
offer  no  more  valid  reason  than  that  given  in  Martial's 
celebrated  epigram  : 

"  Non  amo  te,  Sabidi,  nee  possum  clicere  quare  ; 
Hoc  tantum  possum  dicere,  Non  amo  te."  * 

Well,  he  may  have  been  sometimes  unjust,  but,  on  the 
whole,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  he  was  not  often  at 
fault  in  his  estimate  of  a  man's  character. 

Nor  was  he  a  man  to  be  trifled  with.  He  possessed  a 
quick,  passionate  temper  of  his  own,  which  it  was  never 
difficult  to  rouse,  and  those  who  thought  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  his  free  and  open  manner,  or  of  any  eccen- 
tricity of  his,  were  soon  disabused  ;  they  were  rarely 
rash  enough  to  tempt  him  a  second  time.  When  seri- 
ously angry,  he  was  capable  de  tout,  and  was  quite  formid- 
able. All  his  friends  thoroughly  understood  this,  and 
regulated  their  conduct  accordingl}'-. 

But  through  all  his  actions  there  ran  a  strong  under- 


*  Which  may  be  freely  translated  by  the  well-known  couplet : 
"  I  do  not  like  you,  "Dr.  Fell, 
But  why  I  don't  I  cannot  tell." 


^t.  21.]  A  Noisy  Undergraduate.  53 

current  of  genuine  kindliness,  unaffected  simplicity,  and 
genial  love  of  his  kind  which  at  once  attracted  others  to 
him.  He  was  one  of  the  few  men  who,  while  a  leader  in 
an  exclusive  and  hoi-polloi-despising  college  set,  was 
acquainted  with  and  popular  with  all  down  to  the  last- 
arrived  freshman.  He  could  be  keenly  jealous,  too,  for 
the  prerogatives  of  his  party,  and  his  friends  will  recall 
some  sufficiently  stormy  scenes  when  the  authority  of 
the  "Red  Club"  was  invaded  by  some  daring  revolu- 
tionary spirits,  who  objected  to  privileged  oligarchies. 
Notwithstanding  this,  there  was  no  man  who  succeeded 
better  in  effacing  differences,  and  in  creating  among  the 
community  a  healthy  esprit  de  corps.  Wherein  his  "  great 
strength  "  lay  did  not  appear  at  first,  or  upon  a  brief  ac- . 
quaintanceship.  He  seemed  to  be  wholly  given  over  to 
the  spirit  of  fun — to  deliberately  yield  himself  to  the 
perpetration  of  nonsense.  He  loved  to  startle  and  shock 
the  sensibilities  of  the  staid  followers  of  established 
precedent.  When  the  mood  was  upon  him,  he  could  be 
as  troublesome  as  a  school-boy,  and  his  spirits  were 
quite  as  untamable. 

He  must  surely  have  tried  to  the  utmost  the  patience  of 
the  much-enduring  and  long-suffering  Principal,  whose 
tact  in  dealing  with  him  cannot  be  too  highly  admired, 
and  who  won  for  himself  Hannington's  warm  esteem  and 
regard.  He  was  accustomed,  good-naturedly,  to  chaff 
everybody,  and  loved  to  play  queer  practical  jokes  upon 
his  friends.  But  with  all  this  there  was  an  underlying 
earnestness  of  purpose  which,  coupled  with  an  iron  in- 
flexibility of  will,  soon  made  itself  felt.  It  was  generally 
recognized,  before  he  had  been  long  in  residence,  that 
he  had  something  in  him,  that  he  knew  what  he  wanted, 
and  that,  when  once  he  had  made  up  his  mind  that  a 
thing  ought  to  be  done,  he  was  not  to  be  denied. 


54  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1868. 

He  might,  with  boyish  glee,  bring  a  whole  armful  of 
fireworks  into  college  on  the  5th  of  November,  and  let 
them  off  in  defiance  of  all  rules  and  regulations  ;  he 
might  complete  a  festivity  by  galloping  round  the  Quad 
upon  a  chair  at  the  head  of  his  companions  in  riot ;  he 
might  be  known  chiefly  to  the  unthinking  as  the  organ- 
izer of  wild  pranks,  the  getter-up  of  burlesque  theatri- 
cals, the  hospitable  entertainer  at  noisy  feasts  ;  but,  be- 
neath all  this,  were  sterling  qualities  which  soon  left 
their  impress  upon  the  little  world  in  which  he  moved, 
and  caused  his  influence  to  be  more  deeply  and  widely 
felt  than  that  of  many  older  and  more  talented  men. 

He  was,  moreover,  unselfish,  open-handed,  and  gener- 
ous to  lavishness.  He  was  always  ready  to  be  paymas- 
ter whenever  his  companions  would  consent  to  lay  that 
burden  upon  him.  Those  who  needed  his  assistance  and 
made  claim  upon  his  purse  seldom  or  never  met  with  a 
refusal.  This  readiness  to  impart  of  course  laid  him 
open  to  the  attacks  of  one  or  two  "  notorious  sponges." 
But  only  at  first.  He  was,  as  we  have  said,  a  pretty 
keen  judge  of  character.  If  once  his  suspicions  were 
aroused  they  were  hard  to  allay,  and  then  his  contempt 
would  be  bluntly  outspoken.  His  caustic  wit  was  not 
to  be  easily  endured  by  those  whose  designs  upon  him- 
self or  others  he  thought  that  he  had  fathomed. 

Even  his  "scout,"  and  the  funny  old  Mother-Bunch  of 
a  bed-maker,  while  they  found  him  the  most  considerate 
and  liberal  of  masters,  for  his  manner  with  servants  was 
always  courteous  and  winning,  soon  discovered  that  he 
was  no  fool,  and  not  to  be  squeezed  at  their  pleasure. 
Ah,  me  !  that  bed-maker  !  With  her  heavy  wheezing 
voice  in  which  she  would  perpetually  "beg  parding," 
and  the  slowly  creaking  shoes  upon  which  she  and  her 
pails  would  ascend  the  groaning  stairs  !     Like  all  the 


JEt.  21.]  An  Inveterate  Tease.  55 

other  servants,  she  "  did  like  Mr.  Hannington,  but  he 
were  a  curious  young  gentleman — yes,  that  he  were." 

In  his  younger  days  Hannington  was  a  most  inveter- 
ate tease.  He  would  sometimes  irritate  his  victim  to 
the  utmost  verge  of  all  possible  endurance  ;  but  then  he 
thoroughly  understood  the  principle  of  give  and  take, 
and  never  objected  to  be  teased  in  return.  I  cannot  rec- 
ollect him  to  have  lost  his  temper,  or  even  to  have  shown 
signs  of  annoyance  in  this  game  of  thrust  and  parr}^  Jf 
some  friend's  own  galled  withers  were  wrung  oftenei 
than  he  liked,  he  had  at  least  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  he  might  try  his  hardest  to  find  some  sensitive 
spot  in  the  skin  of  his  tormentor.  At  this  time  he  was 
very  quick  to  resent  and  avenge  an  insult,  but  he  seemed 
even  to  thoroughly  enjoy  to  be  made  the  target  for  whole 
sheaves  of  arrows  of  legitimate  "  chaff." 

Some  men  are  privileged.  By  general  consent  they 
are  allowed  to  say  and  do  with  impunity  things  which 
would  not  be  tolerated  from  others.  Hannington  v/as 
one  of  these. 

It  was  impossible  to  be  cross  with  him.  Even  the 
Dons  extended  to  him  an  unwritten  license.  Upon  one 
occasion,  I  recollect,  the  Principal  remonstrated  with 
him  by  letter  upon  want  of  attention  to  study,  and  in- 
quired how  long  he  intended  to  continue  "  a  gentleman 
at  large."  To  this  the  irrepressible  alumnus  at  once  re- 
plied, "  I  hope  that  you  will  in  future  regard  me  no 
longer  as  a  gentleman  at  large,  but  a  gentleman  at 
'smalls'!"  Who  else  would  have  dared  such  a  re- 
joinder? 

His  wit  was  quite  unsparing.  As  I  had  at  that  time 
some  small  aptitude  for  catching  likenesses,  while  he  was 
an  adept  at  rapid  rhyming,  he  persuaded  me  to  join  with 
him  in  framing  a  book  to  be  entitled  the  "  Skimmery 


56  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  li 


Album."  In  this  most  of  the  men  were  to  be  found 
humorously  depicted  and  described.  Few  escaped  the 
pillory,  from  the  Principal  downward.  In  looking  back 
upon  that  work  of  art,  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  either 
the  rhymes  or  the  drawings  were  always  polite,  or  even 
in  the  best  of  taste;  but  of  this  I  am  quite  sure,  that  no 
one  took  the  jest  amiss.  It  was  "  only  Jim."  None  of 
his  darts  were  poisoned.  If,  perchance,  they  caused  a 
moment's  irritation,  they  left  behind  them  no  envenom- 
ed sting,  or  anything  that  could  rankle  or  cause  per- 
manent pain.  The  man  who  essayed  to  leave  his  room, 
and  found  that  his  "  oak  "  had  been  firmly  screwed  to 
the  doorpost  by  some  stealthy  practitioner  from  with- 
out, and  himself  a  helpless  prisoner,  after  vowing  ven- 
geance upon  the  unknown  impertinent,  would  relent 
when  he  discovered  that  he  had  been  victimized  by  the 
incorrigible  Jim. 

The  luckless  one  who  returned  from  an  evening  party 
to  find  that  some  mischievous  sprite  had  transformed  his 
trim  chambers  into  a  very  miscellany,  and  "  made  hay" 
of  his  goods  and  chattels,  would  smile  resignedly  when 
he  traced  the  hand  of  the  irrepressible  joker. 

The  very  boatmen  at  Salter's  would  grin  when  he 
came  down  to  the  river,  and  make  ready  to  smile  at  the 
pleasantries  of  the  St.  Mary  Hall  captain.  He  was  well 
known  everywhere,  and  I  make  bold  to  say,  wherever  he 
was  known  he  was  well  liked. 

Hannington's  thoroughness  in  carrying  out  whatever 
he  undertook  has  already  been  alluded  to.  Under  his 
captaincy  the  boat  club  throve  and  prospered.  When 
the  post  of  captain  fell  vacant,  and  was  offered  to  him  as 
the  result  of  a  unanimous  vote,  he  made  a  little  speech 
to  the  effect  that  he  would  accept  the  position,  and  en- 
deavor to  do  his  duty  in  it;  but  on  one  condition  only. 


^t.  21.]  A  Stern  Chase.  57 

If  he  were  to  be  captain,  he  should  expect  to  be  implicit- 
ly obeyed.  He  would  resign  the  moment  he  failed  to 
inspire  confidence  in  the  club,  but  he  would  never  con- 
sent to  be  captain  in  name  only.  The  boat  needed  a 
strict  captain,  and,  if  they  elected  him,  he  did  not  mean 
to  give  them  cause  to  find  fault  with  him  in  that  respect. 
His  speech  was  hailed  with  acclamations;  and  he  proved 
himself  as  good  as  his  word.  He  not  only  sought  out 
the  best  men  and  coached  them  assiduously,  but  he  kept 
them  close  to  their  work.  Absentees  were  hunted  up, 
warned,  and  duly  exhorted  to  mend  their  ways.  Punc- 
tuality was  insisted  upon.  Training  was  rigidly  exact- 
ed, and  rules  made,  which,  like  those  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians,  might  not  be  altered.  However,  if  the  captain 
made  great  demands  upon  others,  it  was  certain  that 
he  never  spared  himself,  and  so  gave  no  occasion  for 
grumbling. 

And  how  he  would  row  !  Like  everything  else  that 
he  did,  he  did  it  with  all  his  might.  As  he  was  wont  to 
say  :  "  I  would  row  my  heart  out  sooner  than  that  we 
should  be  bumped."  I  find  in  his  diary  mention  of  one 
ludicrous  scene  over  which  we  often  laughed.  The  long 
line  of  "eights"  that  May  morning  lay  like  huge  water- 
spiders,  one  behind  the  other,  upon  the  surface  of  the 
still  river.  Each  was  held  in  its  place  by  boathooks 
from  the  bank,  and  waited  for  the  signal  gun  to  dart 
forward  in  pursuit  of  the  boat  ahead.  We  were  all 
rather  nervous.  We  knew  that  we  were  a  better  crew 
than  the  one  above  us,  but  strongly  suspected  that  we 
might  fall  a  victim  to  the  still  better  boat  below.  We 
sucked  our  slice  of  lemon,  stripped  to  the  thinnest  of 
jerseys  and  flannels,  and  grimly  determined  to  bump,  if 
possible,  before  we  were  bumped.  After  the  momentary 
confusion  which  followed  the  roar  of  the  gun,  and  when 
3^ 


58  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1868. 

we  had  settled  down  into  our  stroke,  we  soon  found  that 
we  had  our  work  cut  out  for  us.  The  crew  behind  was 
working  grandly  ;  the  eight  backs  swung  to  and  fro 
like  a  well-balanced  machine;  at  each  stroke  their  boat 
leaped  from  the  water;  it  was  quite  evident  that  they 
were  overhauling  us  hand  over  hand.  Hannington  was 
rowing  just  behind  me  at  No.  7,  and  I  knew  that  he  was 
tearing  at  his  oar  like  one  demented,  but  felt  too,  with- 
out being  able  to  see,  that  all  was  not  right  with  him; 
what  it  was  I  could  not  tell.  As  we  entered  "  the  gut," 
where  the  river  makes  a  sharp  turn,  the  "  stroke  "  of  the 
boat  below  called  upon  his  crew  for  a  spurt,  that  they 
might  catch  us  while  we  were  held  back  by  the  drag  of 
our  rudder.  The  chase  became  exciting,  the  two  boats 
almost  overlapped,  and  the  shouts  from  the  crowd  on 
the  towing  path,  as  the  friends  of  the  two  crews  mingled 
into  one,  swelled  into  a  prolonged  roar.  As  v/e,  hardly 
escaping  from  our  pursuer,  emerged  from  "the  gut" 
into  the  straight  reach,  I  could  not  help  noticing  that 
the  shouts  of  encouragement  from  the  shore  were  inter- 
mixed with  laughter,  till  by  and  by  the  laughter  pre- 
dominated, and,  to  my  no  small  disgust,  the  grinning 
faces  of  the  crowd,  as  we  now  hugged  the  Berkshire 
shore,  were  evidently  directed  upon  our  boat.  What  had 
we  done  ?  Who  was  doing  what  ?  This  was  quite  too 
dreadful !  I  was  not  long,  however,  left  in  doubt.  As 
we  passed  the  post,  and  I  turned  to  congratulate  Jim 
upon  our  escape,  I  beheld  him  overwhelmed  with  con- 
fusion and  shame.  In  his  immense  energy  he  had  worked 
his  nether  garments  almost  wholly  off,  and  the  latter 
half  of  that  hard-fought  race  had  been  rowed  by  him,  not 
without  frantic  snatches  at  his  disappearing  raiment, 
garbed  almost  as  slightly  as  Ulysses  and  his  crew,  as 
depicted  upon  some  ancient  vase  ! 


JEt.  21.]  The  Last   Town-and-Gown  Row.  50 

He  was  also  a  great  canoe  man.    When  the  floods  were 
out,  and  all  the  low  country  was  one  vast  lake,  from 
which  protruded  the  tops  of  the  highest  hedges  and  the 
long  lines  of  pollard  willovv's  which  marked  the  coui-se 
of  streams,  we  would  betake  ourselves  to  light  canoes 
and  seek  adventures,  shooting  the  boiling  rush  of  the 
foaming  "  lashers,"  and  letting  ourselves  be  whirled  down 
by  the  mad  waves  of  the  swollen  and  straining  river. 
Here,  as  everywhere  else,  Jim  was  always  to  be  found 
at  the  post  of  danger.     The  ugly  eddy  which  swirlec^ 
with  sullen  roar  beneath  the  arch  of  some  sunken  bridge,, 
or  the  sweep  of  the  deep  and  treacherous  Cherwell,  tear- 
ing madly  through  the   branches  of  some   submerged 
tree,  which  spread  themselves  like  a  net  to  catch  and 
entangle  the  unwary  canoeist  as  he  rounded  a  difficult 
corner — these  were  his  delight.     He  became  a  perfect 
master  of  his  tiny  craft,  and  was  soon  able  to  paddle 
while  standing  upright  almost  as  easily  as  when  seated. 
How  keenly  he  would  enjoy  the  fun  of  a  canoe  race  !    In 
this  every  one  is  allowed  to  do  his  best  to  hinder  or  over- 
turn his  competitors  ;   and  here  Hannington's  mingled 
boldness  and  dexterity  gave  him  a  great  advantage. 

He  had,  too,  the  young  Englishman's  love  for  a 
stand-up  fight.  The  5th  of  November,  1868,  saw  the 
last  of  those  "  town-and-gown  rows "  which  had  been 
so  long  a  disgrace  to  the  University.  The  authorities 
had  determined  to  put  an  end  to  the  unseemly  spec- 
tacle, and  a  strong  force  of  proctors  and  their  myrmi- 
dons patrolled  the  streets.  There  was,  notwithstanding, 
a  good  deal  of  fighting.  One  undergraduate  was  killed, 
and  others  were  more  or  less  injured.  Those  few  gowns- 
men who  escaped  the  proctors  and  their  "bulldogs" 
linked  arms,  and  tried  to  drive  the  mob  up  the  High 
Street  before  them.     Hannington  was,  of  course,  in  the 


6o  James  Hamiington.  [A.D.  1868. 

thick  of  the  melee.  He  had  witnessed  the  fatal  blow  by 
which  the  student  mentioned  above  had  been  struck 
down,  and  was  filled  with  a  Berserk  rage  and  thirst  for 
retribution.  His  friend,  having  just  been  himself  "run 
in  "  by  a  proctor,  and  secured  within  the  Hall  gates, 
has  a  vivid  remembrance  of  that  indignant  figure,  with 
the  light  of  battle  in  his  eye,  and  his  avenging  fist 
stained  with  the  gore  of  his  adversaries,  struggling  in 
the  hands  of  those  who  conducted  him  back  to  his  col- 
lege, and  compelled  him  to  desist  from  the  conflict. 

There  was  an  undefinable  charm  about  this  bright, 
queer,  passionate,  fun-loving,  unconquerable  under- 
graduate. A  mutual  friend  writes  of  him:  "He  was  in 
some  subtle  way  the  life  and  soul  of  our  set."  With  all 
his  seeming  volatility,  he  possessed  that  indescribable 
something  which  Chalmers  used  to  call  "  wecht,"  and  to 
which  he  justly  attributed  so  great  importance.  That 
weight  without  which  no  man  can  achieve  greatness, 
but  the  possession  of  which  makes  its  owner  a  force  in 
the  world. 

And  the  influence  which  he  exercised  was  always, 
even  in  his  most  careless  days,  in  the  main  for  good. 
We  have  seen,  by  the  extracts  quoted  from  his  diary, 
that  he  was  already  accustomed  to  think  at  times  deeply 
and  seriously.  It  is  true,  if  I  may  repeat  what  I  have 
elsewhere  written  of  him,  "  he  was  not,  in  his  under- 
graduate days,  a  man  with  a  definite  purpose.  He  had 
not,  apparently,  any  settled  object  in  the  regeneration 
of  the  society  in  which  he  moved;  his  religion,  as  Dodd- 
ridge says  of  Colonel  Gardiner,  'still  hung  loose  to 
him.'  All  the  stops  of  his  nature  had  not  yet  been 
pulled  out  by  the  consecration  of  his  life  to  Christ;  the 
tunes  played  upon  that  life  were  still,  perhaps,  purpose- 
less, yet  they  were,  withal,  harmless  enough.     I  never 


I 


JEt.  21.]  A  Specimen  Sunday.  6i 

knew  him  to  fall  into  any  of  those  vices  common  to 
young  men.  While  he  was  eminently  social,  he  never 
indulged  himself  to  excess.  During  his  residence  at 
Oxford  he  exercised  a  real  and  entirely  salubrious  in- 
fluence over  his  fellows.  At  the  club  'wines,'  under  his 
presidency,  sobriety  became  the  order  of  the  day,  and 
to  exceed  became  discreditable.  He  was,  in  his  wildest 
moments,  sound  at  the  core,  and  there  are  not  a  few 
who  will  have  felt  the  better  for  his  companionship."  * 

We  have  already  had  occasion  to  remark  that  the  boy 
James,  however  addicted  to  pleasure,  was  never  given 
to  "loafing."  His  very  idleness  was  busy.  We  notice 
the  same  characteristic  in  the  young  man.  He  equally 
eschewed  the  society  of  the  fashionable  lounger,  who 
voted  energy  to  be  "  bad  form,"  who  frequented  the 
High  Street,  and  there  exhibited,  with  languid  grace, 
the  faultless  cut  of  irreproachable  tailoring  ;  and  that 
of  the  self-indulgent  and  beslippered  novel-reader,  as 
loth  to  seek  his  couch  at  night  as  to  rise  betimes  from 
his  bed  in  the  morning. 

The  following  extract  from  his  diary  gives  the  details 
of  a  single  Sunday  which  may  be  taken  as  a  not  unfair 
example  of  many  others  : — "  7  a.m..  Holy  Communion. 
9  A.M.,  Chapel.  10.30,  'Varsity  Sermon  by  Dr.  Gould- 
burn;  twenty-mile  walk  with  E.  Ashmead-Bartlett.  5.15, 
Chapel.  7.30,  Service  in  St.  Mary's.  9  p.m.,  Greek  Tes- 
tament Lecture  under  Burgon."  Which  all  must,  surely, 
confess  was  a  fairly  well-filled  day  ! 

Hannington  spent  the  Christmas  vacation  of  1868-69 
in  his  usual  energetic  manner,  by  rushing  over  to  Ger- 
many, and  visiting  Berlin,  Dresden,  and  other  continent- 
al cities  in  midwinter. 

*  C.  M.  Intelligencer,  April,  1886. 


62  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1869. 


He  was  still,  as  the  Principal  put  it,  more  disposed  to 
play  the  part  of  the  "gentleman  at  large  "  than  that  of 
the  student.  During  the  ensuing  term  we  find  notes  of 
two  visits  to  Cambridge,  which  he,  of  course,  compares 
unfavorably  with  his  own  dear  Alma  Mater.  The  rest 
of  the  term  is  occupied  with  sports  of  various  kind.  E. 
Ashmead-Bartlett  and  he  had  struck  up  a  great  friend- 
ship ;  and  Hannington  threw  himself  heart  and  soul 
into  his  friend's  early  successes  in  athletics,  in  which  he 
then  had  an  ambition  to  excel.  He  records  his  pleasure 
when  Ashmead-Bartlett  ran  third  in  the  'Varsity  three- 
mile  race,  which  secured  to  him  the  right  to  take  part 
in  the  next  Inter-University  sports.  He  tried  his  hand 
at  the  "  new  French  two-wheeled  velocipedes,"  then  first 
introduced  into  Oxford,  and  which  resembled  the  per- 
fect bicycle  of  to-day  not  much  more  closely  than  "Puff- 
ing Billy "  resembles  the  express  locomotive  of  the 
"  Flying  Scotsman."  He  gave  large  wines,  and  got  up 
and  acted  in  the  great  hall  doggerel  English  versions  of 
Greek  plays.  In  fact,  like  other  young  men  of  high 
spirits  and  social  gifts,  he  entered  thoroughly  into  the 
enjoyments  of  this  new  life.  He  appreciated  its  free- 
dom, made  all  the  more  piquant  by  the  appearance  of 
restraint  imposed  by  college  rules,  and  was  disposed  to 
make  the  utmost  of  its  possibilities. 

Though  he  afterwards  became  an  efficient  speaker, 
and  could  even  now,  upon  such  occasions  as  that  nar- 
rated above  at  his  Boat  Club  election,  speak  pithily  and 
to  the  purpose,  he  was  not  fond  of  speechifying.  Like 
some  of  his  contemporaries,  who  have  since  found  their 
tongues,  he  did  not  much  affect  the  excellent  college 
debating  society,  much  less  the  debates  at  the  Union. 
Action  was  more  in  his  line  than  speech.  Had  he  lived 
in  the  days  of  the  Scotists  and  Smiglesians,  he  would 


^t.  22.]  Gratified  Ambitions.  63 

have,  doubtless,  borne  a  good  club  in  Logic  Lane.*  He 
had  the  young  Briton's  thorough  contempt  for  a  "  mug." 

To  row  in  his  college  boat,  and  be  captain  of  it,  to  be 
the  most  popular  man  in  residence,  and  perhaps  some 
day  to  be  elected  president  of  the  then  flourishing  Red 
Club,  these  were  things  compared  with  which  a  good 
degree  seemed  but  as  the  dust  in  the  balance.  Some 
little  time  afterwards,  when  these  ambitions  were  grati- 
fied, he  writes  :  "  I  am  now  captain  of  the  boats  and 
president  of  the  club.  So  I  am  at  the  head  of  every- 
thing." Ah,  well  !  most  healthy  young  minds  pass 
through  this  phase  of  experience.  The  time  was  com- 
ing when  those  things  which  now  seemed  of  least  ac- 
count would  bulk  most  largely  in  his  eyes — when  he  too 
would  "put  away  childish  things." 

In  the  meanwhile  his  life  went  on  as  before,  little 
changed  by  his  adoption  of  those  outward  and  visible 
signs  of  learning,  the  cap  and  gown.  The  Long  Vaca- 
tion of  '69 — as  though  his  whole  life  hitherto  had  not 
been  one  long  vacation — was  spent  in  a  yachting  tour, 
during  which  he  visited  the  coast  and  ports  of  Holland. 
Of  this  trip  a  few  notes  from  his  diary  may  be  sufficient. 
While  at  Antwerp,  he  writes  :  "  I  am  rather  astonished 
at  myself,  on  viewing  for  the  third  time  Rubens'  '  De- 
scent from  the  Cross.'  I  have  lately  been  studying  con- 
tinental pictures  very  keenly,  and  have,  I  think,  a  better 
eye  for  merit  than  formerly.  The  first  time  I  beheld  it 
with  disappointment,  the  second  time  with  indifference, 

*  "  The  followers  of  Duns  Scotus  and  Martin  Smiglesius,  who 
lived  respectively  in  the  fourteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries.  The 
students  used  to  adopt  their  tenets,  and  when  argument  failed, 
would  try  to  cudgell  each  other  into  acquiescence.  Logic  Lane  is 
'  a  narrow  defile  where  the  partisans  used  to  encounter,'  hence  its 
name." — Addison  {Essay  XCI.,  "  On  Managing  a  Debate.") 


64  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1869. 

the  third  time  with  rapture.  The  figures  I  cannot  help 
thinking  too  muscular,  and  the  features  coarse  to  vul- 
garity, but  the  lifelessness  of  the  body  and  the  coloring 
seem  to  me  perfection.  I  could  not  take  my  eyes  off  the 
picture,  until  the  man,  thinking  I  had  had  enough  for 
my  money,  covered  it  up." 

Hannington  next  took  his  steam  yacht  up  the  Rhine, 
and  had  some  exciting  adventures  on  the  rapid  waters 
of  that  treacherous  river.  Once  the  ship  caught  fire. 
"  We  had  proceeded  about  two  miles  past  Bommel,  when 
the  steward  came  to  me  and  called  me  aside  most  mys- 
teriously. He  thought  he  had  better  inform  me  quite 
privately  that  smoke  was  pouring  up  through  the  ship's 
floor.  I  darted  down  below  and  found,  as  he  said,  the 
cabin  full  of  smoke.  There  was  no  doubt  that  the  ship 
was  on  fire.  'Send  quickly  for  the  carpenter,  and  don't 
tell  the  others  for  a  few  minutes.  Now,  carpenter,  keep 
your  head  cool  :  the  vessel  is  on  fire  !  tear  up  this  floor 
at  once  !  '  Then  running  on  deck  to  the  pilot  :  '  Bring 
up  as  quickly  as  possible.  Engineer,  draw  fires,  and  be 
ready  if  I  want  you  for  a  stiffish  piece  of  work.'  We 
could  find  no  fire  under  the  cabin,  but  everywhere 
smoke.  Then  we  went  to  the  coal  bunk,  and  directly  it 
was  opened  the  smoke  rolled  out  in  volumes.  My  heart 
sank.  The  coals  on  fire  !  Nothing  could  save  her  from 
utter  destruction  !  We  turned  the  coals  over,  but  found 
no  fire,  although  the  smoke  kept  rolling  out.  Next  it 
began  to  burst  out  behind  the  donkey  engine.  Dread- 
ful suspense  !  Be  calm  !  With  much  difficulty  we  tore 
up  the  engine-room  floor,  and  then  saw  the  keel  in  a 
blaze  !  Bad  as  this  was,  it  was  a  relief  to  have  found 
the  enemy.  I  shouted  to  the  men,  who  had  gathered 
anxiously  round,  to  stand  to  the  buckets,  and,  stripping 
off  coat  and  waistcoat  I  took  one  myself  ;  and  then,  turn- 


^t.  22.]  An  Adventiire.  65 

ing  on  all  the  taps,  we  speedily  filled  her  with  water  to 
the  floor,  and  thus  extinguished  the  flame.  It  was  an 
anxious  time,  however.  The  fire  appeared  to  be  in  close 
proximity  to  the  coals,  of  which  we  had  a  large  supply. 
Had  they  been  ignited  our  chance  of  escape  would  have 
been  small.  It  resulted  from  the  ash-pan  almost,  if  not 
quite,  resting  upon  the  wooden  keel.  The  iron  had  be- 
come red  hot,  and  kindled  the  wood.  Why,  indeed,  this 
had  not  happened  before  I  cannot  tell." 

Next  comes  the  following  entry  : — "  Brought  up  at 
Nimegen;  created  a  most  profound  sensation.  It  appears 
that  the  Queen's  yacht,  the  Fairy,  is  the  onl)^  one  that 
has  yet  ascended  the  Rhine,  so  the  people  think  that 
I  must  be  of  the  blood  royal.  On  landing  everybody 
was  so  obsequiously  polite  that  I  had  almost  too  much 
of  a  good  thing.  However,  without  assuming  to  myself 
any  dignity  beyond  that  of  an  ordinary  English  gentle- 
man of  great  affability,  I  inspected  with  great  interest 
all  that  is  to  be  seen  in  this  out-of-the-way  little  place, 
unnoticed  by  Murray  or  Bradshaw." 

Any  generation  of  overweening  pride  was,  however, 
properly  checked  by  the  next  adventure.  **  We  steamed 
on  to  the  Prussian  frontier.  Here  I  had  to  land,  and,  in 
spite  of  explanations  that  the  yacht  was  not  either  a 
merchant  or  passenger  vessel,  I  had  to  make  a  manifest 
of  everything  on  board — rice,  salt,  tobacco,  wine,  etc. 
Of  course,  I  did  not  know  in  the  least  what  we  actually 
had.  I,  therefore,  told  the  man  whatever  came  into  my 
head,  as  a  pound  or  two  of  tea,  two  loaves  of  bread,  fifty 
bottles  of  wine,  etc.  I  then  had  to  sign  my  name  to 
four  different  papers  to  vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  my 
statement.  Anybod}?-  can  imagine  my  delight  when, 
having  solemnly  m.ade  my  declaration,  I  was  informed 
that  the  custom-house  officers   would   come   on  board 


66  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1869. 

directly  to  see  if  my  statement  were  true  !  It  was  an  in- 
sult hard  to  brook  without  flying  into  a  passion.  In  a 
few  minutes  ten  officers  arrived.  I  received  them  as  if 
they  were  of  the  utmost  importance,  but  at  the  same 
time  as  if  I  was  more  so.  I  then  told  the  steward  to  take 
them  round,  but  to  show  them  nothing  else  but  the  joint 
of  meat.  I,  in  the  meantime,  got  hold  of  one  who  seemed 
the  most  officious,  and  although  he  declared  in  a  loud 
voice  that  he  would  not  touch  a  thing,  I  managed  to 
pour  a  glass  of  my  very  best  down  his  throat,  while  his 
subordinates  were  below.  We  shook  hands  repeatedly, 
and  became  sworn  friends.  They  finally  declared  that 
they  must  have  a  bottle  of  wine  to  test  its  strength, 
which  they  did,  and  sent  it  back  in  half  an  hour  with  a 
charge  of  about  jQx  on  my  declaration,  which  I  thought 
moderate." 

To  his  great  satisfaction,  Hannington  was  able  to 
bring  the  yacht  to  Cologne  at  the  time  appointed  to 
meet  his  father.  He  had  had  many  difficulties  to  con- 
tend with.  The  navigation  of  the  river  proved  both 
tedious  and  dangerous  for  a  vessel  of  the  lole's  draught. 
Many  times  they  stuck  upon  sandbanks,  or  were  stranded 
upon  hidden  reefs.  The  pilot  again  and  again  urged 
him  to  telegraph  to  his  father  to  announce  the  impossi- 
bility of  reaching  Cologne  by  the  day  mentioned.  To 
this  he  had  but  one  reply  :  ^^  I  have  undertaken  to  be  there^ 
And  there,  on  the  7th  of  August,  to  the  surprise  of  all, 
he  was. 

All  this  was,  no  doubt,  conducive  to  the  formation  of 
character.  It  helped  to  produce  in  him  that  self-reliance 
and  readiness  of  resource  which  afterwards  so  remark- 
ably distinguished  him  as  a  missionary  pioneer.  But  it 
did  not  help  him  much  to  make  up  leeway  in  his  classic- 
al education. 


^t.  22.]  Goes  to  Devonshire.  Sy 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  learn  that,  when  he 
returned  to  Oxford  in  the  autumn  of  '69,  and  at  once 
took  up  his  old  role  as  Master  of  the  Revels,  the  Prin- 
cipal strongly  recommended  him  to  seek  out  a  compe- 
tent tutor  in  some  quiet  and  retired  part  of  the  country, 
where  there  would  be  few  distractions,  and  where  he 
would  have  no  temptation  to  seek  other  friends  than  his 
books. 

For  this  purpose  he  suggested  the  Rev.  C.  Scriven, 
Rector  of  Martinhoe.  He  could  not  have  selected  a  bet- 
ter man.  But  the  place  !  Alas  !  how  could  the  Princi- 
pal, with  all  his  kindly  forethought,  know  that  this  per- 
plexing undergraduate  would  find  in  Devonshire  peas- 
ant folk,  and  still  more  in  Devonshire  cliffs  and  seas, 
distractions  even  greater  than  college  life  could  offer 
him  ? 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MARTINHOE. 
(1870—73.) 

"A  great,  broad-shouldered,  genial  Englishman." 

Princess. 

Martinhoe  and  Trentishoe  are  two  small  sister  par- 
ishes on  the  wild  north  coast  of  Devonshire,  about  half- 
way between  Ilfracombe  and  The  Foreland.  Far  from 
any  railway  station,  they  are  shut  off  from  the  rest  of 
the  world  by  their  inaccessibility.  The  population  of 
the  two  parishes,  at  that  time  held  by  Mr.  Scriven,  does 
not  much  exceed  three  hundred  souls.  These  are,  how- 
ever, scattered  over  a  wide  extent  of  country.  A  lonely 
place  is  this  corner  of  North  Devon,  and  out  of  the  way. 
A  place  of  wide-stretching  moorland  ;  dark,  weather- 
scarped  cliffs,  and  rocks  worn  and  torn  by  the  ceaseless 
sweep  of  Atlantic  billows.  Hannington  writes  of  his 
first  impression  of  the  district :  "  The  country  round  is 
magnificent,  and  I  soon  fell  in  love  with  both  place  and 
people." 

The  impression  which  he  himself  made  upon  the  party 
at  the  Rectory  is  recorded  in  another  note  :  "  I  found 
out  that  their  opinion  of  me  is  that  I  am  very  eccentric." 
However,  in  a  very  short  time,  not  only  they,  but  the 
simple  country  folk  around,  learned  to  love  him,  and  to 
regard  him  as,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  their  own.  Fie  en- 
tered thoroughly  into  the  pursuits  of  the  people,  and 
was  soon  widely  known  among  them.  Before  he  had 
(68) 


JEt.  22.]  Customs  of  the  Devonians.  69 

been  long  at  Martinhoe  he  was  welcomed  everywhere, 
in  farm-house  and  cottage,  as  a  personal  friend. 

The  strange  habits  and  customs  of  the  Devonians,  al- 
most unaltered  through  centuries,  interested  him  greatly; 
he  studied  them  sympathetically,  while  he  keenly  en- 
joyed the  humor  of  them.  The  following  is  an  extract 
from  his  diary: 

'^  Feb.  20th. — We  had  a  funeral  this  week.  The  be- 
reaved gave  a  tremendous  feast  on  the  occasion  to  those 
who  were  invited  ;  and  any  others  who  chose  to  attend 
went  to  the  house  for  tea  and  coffee.  On  Sunday  they 
all  came  to  church  in  a  body.  They  came  in  very  late, 
and  sat  together  in  a  conspicuous  place,  remaining  the 
whole  time  of  the  service  with  their  faces  buried  in  their 
pocket-handkerchiefs  ;  nor  did  one  once  look  up.  A 
short  time  since,  the  clerk  at  Trentishoe  lost  his  wife. 
A  few  days  after  the  funeral  he  asked  for  a  holiday, 
borrowed  a  horse,  and  rode  round  the  parish  to  sound 
all  the  young  women  on  the  question  of  matrimony. 
He  arrived  at  the  Parsonage  and  proposed  to  both  the 
servants,  but  was  refused.  At  last  he  found  a  lady  bold 
enough  and  willing  to  take  the  step,  and  she  bids  fair 
to  make  him  a  good  wife. 

"  There  is  an  immense  deal  of  superstition  about  here. 
Neither  man,  woman,  nor  child  will  enter  a  churchyard 
after  dark,  and  on  Midsummer  night  they  say  that  the 
spirits  of  the  departed  move  about  the  graves,  and  are 
to  be  seen.  Many  of  the  people  know  charms  for  differ- 
ent diseases,  and  are  in  great  repute.  Old  John  Jones 
can  bless  for  the  eyes:  and  afterwards  offered  to  reveal 
the  secret  to  me,  in  which  case  he  would  be  able  to 
*  bless  '  no  more,  the  gift  becoming  mine. 

"  Mrs.  Jones  *  to  the  parsonage '  has  a  seventh  son, 


70  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1870. 


who  has  power  to  bless  for  the  King's  evil.  Numbers 
resorted  to  him,  but  finding  that  he  did  not  get  sufficient 
from  them,  and  that  every  time  he  '  blessed  '  virtue  went 
from  him,  and  left  him  weak,  he  has  discontinued  the 
practice." 

The  belief  in  witches  still  holds  sway  over  the  minds 
of  the  people.  They  have  unbounded  faith  in  charms 
and  spells.  I  remember  once  to  have  had  a  conversation 
with  Hannington  on  the  subject  of  the  supposed  miracles 
at  Knock,  Lourdes,  and  other  places.  Whatever  might 
be  the  source  of  the  alleged  healings,  he  warned  me 
against  summarily  concluding  that  no  cures  had  taken 
place. 

He  said  that  he  had  himself  seen  the  strangest  cures 
effected  in  Africa  by  medicine-men  with  their  fetish  ; 
cures  of  which,  to  an  impartial  beholder,  there  could  be 
little  doubt.  He  then  narrated  some  remarkable  cases 
of  persons  who  had,  under  his  own  observation,  been 
healed  by  recourse  to  men  or  women  who  were  supposed 
to  be  endowed  with  the  power  to  "  bless."  He  was  of 
opinion  that  certain  diseases — in  fact,  all  those  diseases 
which  were  directly  or  indirectly  nervous — might,  in  cer- 
tain cases,  be  healed  by  a  strong  faith  in — anything. 

The  reader  will,  no  doubt,  recall  the  case  mentioned 
both  by  Pascal,  and  also  by  Racine  in  his  history  of  Port 
Royal,  in  which  a  daughter  of  Madame  Perier  was  cured 
of  a  lachrymal  fistula  of  a  very  bad  kind,  which  had  dis- 
figured her  face  for  more  than  three  years,  by  a  touch 
from  a  supposed  Thorn  from  the  Crown. 

Supposing  this  cure  to  have  been  really  effected — and 
it  is  testified  to  by  no  less  authorities  than  Pascal,  Ar- 
nauld,  and  Le  Maitre — there  is  no  need  to  believe  that 
any  special  virtue  resided  in  the  "■  Holy  Thorn."     Rather 


iEt.  22.]  As  a  ^^Medicine-man"  71 

that  the  extent  to  which  it  is  possible  for  the  mind  to 
sway  the  body  has  not  yet  been  accurately  ascertained. 

Upon  one  occasion,  and  I  believe  one  only,  Hannington 
was  induced  to  experiment  upon  the  credulity  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  result  was  notable.  He  had  a  decided  taste 
for  the  study  of  medicine,  and  had  picked  up  at  different 
times  no  small  practical  knowledge  of  it.  The  country 
doctor,  indeed,  trusted  him  so  far  as  to  seek  his  assist- 
ance in  reporting  upon  and  caring  for  many  of  the  sim- 
pler cases  of  sickness.  His  repute  as  a  *'  medicine-man  " 
among  the  country  folk  themselves  was  great.  They 
placed  unlimited  confidence  in  him.  Upon  the  occasion 
to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  he  was  asked  to  pre- 
scribe for  a  certain  woman  who  appeared  to  be  in  the  last 
stage  of  consumption.  She  had  been  under  medical 
treatment  for  years,  but  had  obtained  no  relief.  Han- 
nington filled  a  phial  with  water  slightly  flavored  and 
colored,  and  attached  to  the  cork  a  small  leaden  medal, 
such  as  is  found  on  some  bottles  of  eau-de-Cologne. 
This  he  gravely  presented  to  the  woman,  merely  saying 
to  her,  "  When  you  take  a  dose,  first  turn  the  bottle  round 
three  times  three  ;  and,  whatever  you  do,  take  care  that 
you  do  not  lose  that  leaden  medal,  but  return  it  to  me  when  you 
are  well."  From  that  hour  the  woman  began  to  amend  ; 
in  a  very  brief  time  the  medal  was  returned — an  appar- 
ently complete  cure  had  been  effected.  I  make  no  com- 
ment upon  this,  but  give  the  story  as  nearly  as  possible 
in  the  same  words  in  which  he  narrated  it  to  me. 

After  some  more  or  less  spasmodic  reading,  Hanning- 
ton returned  to  Oxford  on  March  19th,  and  went  into 
the  schools  to  pass  his  ''smalls."  During  the  first  day 
of  the  examination  he  had  good  hopes  of  success  ;  but 
on  the  second  day  an  ill-conditioned  organ-grinder  took 
up  his  station  outside  the  "theatre,"  and  with  the  horri- 


72  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1870. 

ble  iteration  of  his  popular  airs  drove  all  thoughts  out 
of  the  distracted  head  of  the  unhappy  student.  In  a  fit 
of  irritable  despair  he  rushed  out  and  withdrew  his 
name. 

The  next  term  Hannington  spent  in  residence.  He 
was  at  this  time  elected  President  of  the  "Red  Club," 
which,  with  the  captaincy  of  the  Boat  Club,  was  the 
highest  social  honor  that  we  were  able  to  confer  upon 
him. 

On  the  loth  of  June  he  again  tried  to  pass  his  Re- 
sponsions,  and  this  time  successfully. 

The  next  entry  in  the  diary  is  again  from  Marti nhoe. 
Hannington  had  discovered  a  new  source  of  delight. 
The  cliffs  descended  to  the  sea  in  sheer,  precipitous 
walls  of  three  or  four  hundred  feet.  In  few  places  was 
access  to  their  base  possible,  except  to  bold  and  expe- 
rienced climbers.  A  perilous  scramble  from  ledge  to 
ledge  in  search  for  chough's  eggs  revealed  the  existence 
of  some  remarkable  caves,  the  largest  of  which  was  then 
and  there  dubbed  Cave  Scriven.  These  caves,  carved 
out  by  the  foam-fingers  of  the  tireless  sea,  fringed  with 
immense  fronds  of  fern,  pillared  with  stalactite,  and 
floored  with  firm  white  sand,  the  safe  and  undisturbed 
citadel  of  birds,  were  quite  inaccessible  to  any  but  a 
cragsman.  Hannington  at  once  resolved  that  they 
should  be  seen  and  explored  by  the  party  at  the  Rec- 
tory, and  for  that  purpose  set  to  work  to  make  a  prac- 
ticable path  down  to  the  shore.  Into  this  business  he 
threw  himself  with  characteristic  enex-gy.  The  engin- 
eering difficulties  to  be  overcome  were  not  small.  The 
cliff  was  in  many  places  a  sheer  precipice — nowhere 
could  foothold  be  obtained  except  upon  treacherous 
projections  or  crumbling  ledges.  However,  he  writes  : 
*'On  Sept.   ist  we  commenced,  and    secured  two   able- 


JEt.  22.]  Amateur  Engineering.  73 

bodied  men  and  old  Richard  Jones  to  help.  When 
Richard  was  a  boy  he  had  been  the  best  hand  in  the 
parish  at  climbing  the  'cleve'  (cliff),  but  now  he  was 
old  and  crippled.  We  thought,  however,  he  might  be 
useful  to  do  odd  jobs,  so  at  7  a.m.  we  all  turned  out 
with  '  pick-isses,*  '  two-bills,'  crowbars,  and  spades,  and 
made  our  way  to  the  scene  of  action." 

It  will  be  observed  that  Hannington  had,  as  usual, 
succeeded  in  carrying  along  with  him  all  his  friends, 
the  other  pupils  at  the  Rectory,  and  even  the  servants. 
His  enthusiasm  was  the  most  infectious  thing  in  the 
world.  The  most  ridiculous  project  became,  when  he 
threw  himself  into  its  execution,  the  all-absorbing  busi- 
ness of  the  hour.  Thus,  for  the  time  being,  the  interest 
of  the  parish  was  concentrated  upon  this  wonderful 
"  path,"  which  was  to  lead  down  the  face  of  a  danger- 
ous cliff,  from  nowhere  in  particular  to  nobody  knew 
where. 

Though  the  leader  of  this  pioneer  corps  of  sappers 
and  miners  was  almost  incapacitated  \iy  a  severe  attack 
of  shingles,  he  refused  to  succumb,  and  himself  marked 
out  the  first  section  of  the  path.  The  party,  amateurs 
and  hired  laborers,  then  set  to  work  in  good  earnest, 
and  soon  made  the  first  part  of  a  practicable  zigzag. 
When  they  got  well  down  over  the  edge,  hov/ever,  the 
rocks  proved  very  rotten,  and  after  several  narrow  es- 
capes, the  enthusiasm  of  some  was  damped,  and  the 
two  able-bodied  workmen  refused  to  risk  their  lives 
further.  Old  Richard  alone  remained  undaunted;  and, 
with  his  help,  and  that  of  George  Scriven,  the  path  was 
at  last  completed.  Some  graphic  extracts  from  the  diary 
explain  how  it  was  done.  Old  Richard  was  clinging  on 
to  a  landslip,  and  plying  his  pick  as  best  he  could,  when 
Hannington  cried  to  him,  "  '  Hold  on,  Richard,  till  I 
4 


74  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1871. 

come  back  to  you;  I  am  going  to  climb  down  a  bit  fur- 
ther, and  see  where  we  can  next  take  the  path  to.'  Old 
Richard,  however,  was  a  man  who  could  not  stand  idle, 
as  I  found  to  my  cost;  for  when  I  had  crept  down  some 
distance  I  heard  the  rush  of  a  stone,  and  a  considerable 
boulder  shot  past  my  head,  within  a  foot  of  me.  I  had 
barely  time  to  dodge  as  it  whizzed  by  like  a  cannon- 
ball,  accompanied  by  a  volley  of  small  stones,  and  I 
could  feel  the  draught  of  air  it  made.  With  a  shout  I 
apprised  Richard  that  I  was  below,  and  climbed  up  like 
a  lamplighter,  and  stood  by  his  side  pale  and  breathless. 
He  was  quite  cool.  '  I  don't  like  the  look  of  that  old 
rougey  place  where  you  have  been  climbing,'  said  he. 
Nor  do  I,  thought  I  to  myself,  when  you  are  working 
up  above.     If  you  are  not  the  coolest  old  hand  I  ever 

met !      However,  I  said  nothing  ;  but  after  dinner 

George  and  I  climbed  across  this  '  rougey  place,'  with 
the  assistance  of  a  rope,  and  determined  that  we  would 
not  return  until  we  had  cut  our  own  path  back.  Old 
Richard  now  gave  in.  He  took  back  to  the  village  the 
news  that  he  was  beaten  now.  So  George  and  I  did  it 
by  ourselves.  Capital  fellow  is  George,  and  just  as 
determined  as  myself  that  we  should  succeed,  even  if 
the  whole  cliff  came  down  about  our  ears." 

There  was  much  triumph  when  the  work  was  com- 
pleted. An  opening  day  was  arranged,  and  a  party  of 
twenty  visitors  descended  the  dizzy  path  down  to 

"  The  murmuring  surge 
That  on  the  unnumbered  idle  pebbles  chafes," 

and  were  introduced  to  the  wonders  of  the  new-found 
caves. 

The  following  entry  appears  opposite  January  i,  187 1: 
"Received  the  Holy  Communion  with  great  misgiv- 
ings.    Reflected  upon  the  manner  in  which  I  had  spent 


JEt.  23.]  A  Narrow  Escape.  75 

the  past  year,  and  made  resolutions,  which,  alas  !  soon 
failed." 

A  day  or  two  later  he  was  almost  drowned  while  skat- 
ing. The  same  evening,  however,  he  went  to  a  Devon- 
shire farmer's  party,  which  he  thus  describes  :  "  I  am 
going  to  'see  Christmas,'  which  is  Devonian  for  'I  am 
going  to  a  party.'  We  arrived  at  6  p.m.,  when  a  hot  sup- 
per was  ready — three  hot  roast  joints,  etc.;  after  which, 
games,  dancing,  and  the  like  went  on  till  midnight,  when 
there  was  another  hot  supper  as  substantially  provided 
as  the  first.  Then  cards  commenced  till  8  a.m.,  when 
there  was  a  hot  breakfast."  Hannington  does  not  say 
whether  he  saw  this  party  out,  but  apparently  it  is  not 
uncommon  on  such  occasions  for  guests  to  remain  even 
until  noon,  when  they  wind  up  the  festivities  with  a  final 
dinner.  The  habits  of  our  beef-and-ale-consuming  fore- 
fathers still  linger  in  hospitable  Devonshire. 

A  week  later  Hannington  found  himself  in  nearly  as 
awkward  a  position  as  that  of  the  elderly  gentleman 
who,  while  probing  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  for  anemones 
at  low  tide,  was  seized  by  the  finger  and  held  fast  in  the 
tenacious  grip  of  a  huge  crustacean.  Tradition  says 
that  he  was  drowned,  The  same  fate  might  easily  have 
befallen  our  adventurous  explorer  of  caves.  He  says  : 
"On  the  12th  of  January  I  asked  Morrell  and  George 
Scriven  to  join  in  an  excursion  to  a  cave  we  called  '  The 
Eyes,'  two  small  holes  just  large  enough  to  creep  through, 
which  penetrated  a  headland.  While  there,  we  discov- 
ered below  water  mark  a  hole  which  seemed  to  pene- 
trate some  distance  ;  so,  with  no  little  squeezing  and 
pushing,  I  wound  my  way  in,  and  found  myself  in  a  large 
hollow  chamber  with  no  other  outlet  than  the  one  I  had 
entered  by.  It  would  have  been  a  dreadful  place  in 
which  to  be  caught  by  the  tide.     The  water  gradually 


76  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1871. 

rising  in  the  utter  darkness  would  drown  one  like  a 
rat  in  a  trap.  I  explained  all  this  melodramatically  to 
my  companions  outside  till  they  grew  quite  impatient, 
'  Well,  come  out  then,'  said  Morrell,  '  for  the  tide  is  fast 
coming  up,  and  we  shall  have  a  job  to  return.'  So  I 
crawled  down  to  the  entrance  and  essayed  to  come  out 
head  first.  I  soon  stuck  fast,  and  after  great  squeezing 
and  squirming,  barely  managed  to  get  back  again  inside. 
Next  I  tried  to  get  out  as  I  came  in,  and  so  worked  my 
way  down  feet  first.  It  was  no  go,  I  was  again  jammed 
tight.  My  two  friends  then  got  hold  of  my  legs,  and 
pulled  and  pulled  till  I  thought  my  legs  and  body  would 
part  compan}'-.  Matters  really  began  to  look  serious.  I 
was  bruised  and  strained  a  good  deal,  and  escape  seemed 
impossible.  And  now  the  full  horror  of  the  situation 
flashed  across  us  all.  My  mocking  words  were  actually 
to  be  realized  !  I  said  in  the  best  voice  I  could  that  I 
must  say  good-bye;  but  if  ever  I  passed  a  dreadful  mo- 
ment it  was  that  one.  The  tide  was  creeping  up  slowly 
but  surely.  Applying  all  their  strength  they  pushed 
me  back  into  the  entrance  that  I  might  make  one  more 
effort  head  first.  Then  it  suddenly  occurred  to  us  all 
that  I  might  try  without  my  clothes.  No  sooner  said 
than  done;  and  after  a  good  scraping  I  soon  stood  once 
more  by  their  side.     But  it  was  a  narrow  escape  !  " 

Nothing  daunted  by  this  adventure,  Morrell  and  he 
set  themselves  to  conquer  "  the  champion  climb  amongst 
the  natives."  Twice  they  were  defeated.  It  seemed  to 
them  that  "no  mortal  man  could  go  up."  The  third 
time  they  were  successful,  scaled  the  dizzy  height,  and 
"  were  made  free  of  the  cliffs." 

Hannington  kept  the  next  two  terms  at  St.  Mary  Hall. 
He  was  now  twenty-three,  but  the  boyish  spirit  was  not 
in  the  least  abated.      Vide  the  following:  : 


iEt.  23.]  Trip  to  Norway.  yj 

"  April  2^th. — For  a  bet  I  wheeled  Captain  Way  up 
the  High  Street  in  a  wheelbarrow,  and  turned  him  out 
opposite  the  Angel  Hotel," 

The  Easter  Vacation  was  spent  in  a  yachting  trip  with 
his  own  people.  They  all  had  a  pleasant  time  on  the 
bright  waters  of  the  south  coast.  Whenever  there  was 
a  bit  of  rough  work  to  be  done,  James  always  undertook 
it.  ''Now,  men,"  he  was  wont  to  say,  "you  remember 
me  up  the  Rhine.  No  putting  back  to-day,  mind  ! " 
On  several  occasions,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  went 
by  rail  to  avoid  some  stormy  foreland,  he  took  charge  of 
the  yacht;  never  better  pleased  than  when  a  real  stiff  sea 
had  to  be  encountered,  or  a  difficulty  overcome.  As  he 
was  not  in  good  health,  he  next  took  advantage  of  doc- 
tor's advice  to  make  a  yachting  voyage  to  Norway. 
There  he  made  the  most  of  his  time,  appreciatively 
seizing  upon  all  strange  vvays,  quaint  sayings,  and  queer 
surroundings,  and  making  himself  very  popular  with  the 
Norwegians,  whether //^^^,  postboy,  or  boatman. 

One  story  we  may  quote  from  his  diary  :  "  The  land- 
lord at  Gudvangen,  Herr  S.,  is  quite  a  character.  He 
dances  round  one,  and  his  long  hair  flies  about  in  a  most 
ludicrous  way.  '  He  shall  sit  up  all  night  if  he  shall 
make  you  comfortable';  and  to  commence  adding  to 
your  comfort  he  pats  you  on  the  back.  Then  he  is  full 
of  bitter  remorse  because  you  tell  him  that  the  maid 
(pigge)  will  grease  your  boot-laces.  '  He  shall  send  her 
away  ;  he  shall  do  it  himself  ;  it  shall  break  his  heart  if 
you  are  not  comfortable.'  Herr  S.  speaks  good  English, 
but  he  likes  to  add  to  his  vocabulary.  Some  one  said 
that  tne  Germ.ans  were  fond  of  guzzling  beer.  The  con- 
versation dropped,  but  not  the  word.  It  dwelt  in  Herr 
S.'s  mind.     The   next   morning  we  were  at   the    river. 


78  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1871. 


Herr  S.  expressed  a  thousand  regrets  that  it  was  so 
clear.  Said  he  :  'If  only  you  could  get  a  little  guzzling 
water  you  shall  catch  fish.'  We  found  that  he  thought 
that  '  guzzling  '  meant  thick  !  " 

On  July  i8th  he  was  back  once  more  at  Martinhoe  ; 
reading,  cliff-climbing,  and  botanizing — chiefly,  I  im- 
agine, the  two  latter.  His  zeal  for  exploring  the  wave- 
worn  nooks  of  the  perilous  coast  had  infected  the  others. 
Parties  were  constantly  made  up  to  reach  some  new  cave 
or  test  the  practicability  of  some  hitherto  impossible 
track.  Hannington  never  tired  of  describing  these  ad- 
ventures. On  one  occasion  they  were  creeping  along  a 
narrow  ledge  of  rock  overhanging  a  "  vasty  deep,"  when 
they  came  to  a  place  where  the  ledge  turned  at  right 
angles,  and  was,  moreover,  blocked  by  a  mass  of  jutting 
rock.  A  long  stride  over  the  obstacle  is  required.  He 
writes  :  "As  I  knew  the  place  best,  I  stepped  on  first, 
and  then  began  to  help  the  others  across.     All  got  over 

safely  till  it  came  to  R 's  turn.     I  was  sitting  on  the 

ledge,  and  held  out  my  hand  to  him.  He  somehow 
missed  the  hand,  slipped,  and  lost  his  balance.  The 
fearful  look  of  terror  that  flashed  over  his  face,  accom- 
panied by  a  low  moan  and  gasp  of  despair,  I  shall  not 
easily  forget.  I  dashed  at  him,  caught  him  by  the  arm, 
and,  gripping  the  rock  with  one  hand,  held  him  for  a 
moment  dangling  in  the  air.  Fortunately,  George  was 
at  hand,  and  seized  my  wrist,  otherwise  we  must,  both 
of  us,  have  gone  over  and  been  lost.  Together  we 
hauled  him  up,  and  I  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  hear- 
ing him  say,  as  he  shook  me  by  the  hand:  '  Thank  you 
for  my  life  ! '  I,  however,  was  myself  quite  as  much  in- 
debted to  George."  Good  Mr,  Scriven  did  not  half  like 
these  perilous  freaks.  But,  while  the  mania  lasted,  there 
was  no  keeping  his  "  pups  "   off  the  clift"s.     To  use  his 


^t.  23.]         His  "  Dearest,  Sweetest  Mother y  79 

favorite   expression,    they  were    "like    moths   buzzing 
round  a  candle." 

"Aug.  ^th. — Helped  to  put  new  east  window  in  the 
church.  I  had  recommended  Baillie,  and  had  obtained 
the  design." 

"  Aug.  26th. — Took  Lord  Tenterden,  Mr.  Justice  Pol- 
lock, and.  some  others  to  see  the  caves.  They  expressed 
the  greatest  astonishment  at  the  engineering  of  the  path, 
and  the  magnificence  of  the  caves." 

Next  occurs  the  following  : 

"  I  suggested  to  Mr.  Scriven  that  I  should  come  to 
him  at  once  as  his  curate,  and  read  for  my  Degree  after 
wards." 

To  this  he  adds  in  a  note  written  long  after  :  "Very 
fortunately  the  Bishop  would  not  consent  to  ordain  me 
until  I  had  taken  my  Degree." 

Fortunately,  indeed  !  In  this,  as  in  other  things,  we 
can  trace  the  good  Hand  of  his  God  upon  him. 

And  now  an  event  took  place  which  moved  him  to  the 
centre  of  his  being.  The  controlling  love  of  his  life  had 
been  that  of  his  mother.  The  boyish  tenderness  for  his 
"dearest,  sweetest  mother,"  had  not  been  impaired  by 
time.  No  other  affection  had  ever  usurped  his  heart. 
He  was  the  least  susceptible  of  men  to  the  charms  of 
women.  No  Adonis  could  have  seemed  more  wholly 
unassailable  by  what  is  called  love.  His  friends  and 
companions  were  mainly,  and,  indeed,  almost  exclusive- 
ly, of  his  own  sex.  Not  that  he  was  unpopular  with 
women  :  far  from  it.  But  in  whatever  light  they  may 
have  regarded  him,  in  his  eyes  they  were  but  weaker 
men,  to  be  treated  with  chivalrous  consideration,  but 
otherwise  as  companions — nothing  more.  His  whole 
love  was  given  to  his  mother.     She,  on  her  part,  fully 


8o  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1871—72. 

reciprocated  his  affection,  and  found  an  ever  fresh  de- 
light in  the  devotion  of  her  favorite  son.  Mrs.  Han- 
nington had,  for  some  time,  been  seriously  ill.  On  the 
30th  of  September  of  this  year,  187 1,  her  doctor  pro- 
nounced that  there  was  little  or  no  hope  of  her  recovery. 
James  was  in  an  agony  of  mind  ;  he  could  not  believe 
that  such  grief  was  in  store  for  him.  In  a  few  days  the 
crisis  seemed  to  pass,  and  his  mother,  to  his  intense  re- 
lief, rallied.  He  determined,  notwithstanding  this,  to 
remain  by  her  side  instead  of  returning  to  Oxford  to 
keep  Term.  As  the  days  dragged  wearily  by,  matters 
did  not  improve.  It  was  evident  that  his  mother  was 
sinking.  She  was  very  happy  and  peaceful.  As  for 
James,  he  wrote  :  "  We  had  but  a  melancholy  Christmas 
Day,  and  mournfully  closed  the  year.  The  doctor  gives 
my  mother  no  hope,  and  yet  there  seems  to  be  hope.  I 
cannot  but  hope — I  iniist  hope." 

He  found  time,  in  the  midst  of  this  racking  anxiety, 
to  run  up  to  Oxford,  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  friends 
there,  to  settle  a  quarrel  which  had  occurred  in  the  St. 
Mary  Hall  Boat  Club.  But,  having  set  matters  straight, 
and  prevailed  upon  the  then  Captain  to  resign,  he  at 
once  returned  to  Hurst.  On  February  14th  his  mother 
submitted  to  the  operation  of  tapping.  She  bore  it  with 
a  patient  resignation  which  was  deeply  touching  to  her 
husband  and  children.  She  got,  however,  very  little 
relief.  On  the  24th,  James  writes  :  "  Very,  very  ill." 
On  the  26th  :  "  I  went  in  to  her  at  eight  a.m.,  and  at 
once  saw  that  the  end  could  not  be  far  off.  She  was 
almost  unconscious.  She  kept  dozing  and  rousing,  and 
commencing  sentences.  Especially  she  would  repeat 
again  and  again  :  '  I  will  take  the  stony  heart  out  of 
their  flesh,  and  will  give  them  an  heart  of  flesh.  I  will 
take — I  will  take  the  stony  heart  away — away.' " 


JEt.  24.]  J^t's  Mother  s  Death.  8 1 

So  the  bright,  active,  brave  spirit,  which  in  so  many 
points  resembled  that  of  her  favorite  son,  went  down, 
step  by  step,  to  the  brink  of  the  still  river  ;  and  her  son 
would  hardly  let  her  go — would  have  held  her,  but  could 
not.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  she  ceased 
her  broken  utterances  ;  at  about  five  o'clock  her  arms, 
which  had  gently  swayed  to  and  fro,  moved  no  longer, 
and  at  seven  she  died  in  the  presence  of  all  her  children. 
After  the  last  reverent  look,  the  others  moved  sadly 
away.  As  for  James,  he  fell  on  her  face,  and  kissed  her, 
and  cried  to  her,  as  though  she  could  still  hear  him. 
Scarce  knowing  what  he  said,  he  besought  her  again 
and  again  to  come  back  to  him — not  to  leave  him  when 
he  most  wanted  her.  By  and  by  came  the  faithful  old 
nurse,  and,  with  gentle  compulsion,  led  him  away. 

Mrs.  Hannington  had  always  felt  an  almost  morbid 
di'cad  lest  she  should  be  buried  before  life  was  actually 
extinct.  She  had  mentioned  this  to  her  son,  and  he  had 
promised  that  he  would  assure  himself  that  death  had 
taken  place  before  the  interment.  This  explains  the 
following  note  :  "  I  promised  my  mother  to  see  her  six 
times  after  she  was  dead.  I  saw  her  seven,  and  there 
could  not  be  the  slightest  doubt  that  she  was  gone." 

Indeed,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  tear  him  away 
from  her  bedside.  He  would  sit  there  in  the  silent 
gloom,  hour  after  hour,  plunged  in  grief  that  refused  to 
be  comforted.  Or  he  would  be  found  kneeling  by  that 
figure  so  mysterious  and  still  beneath  its  enveloping 
sheet.  They  had  to  coax  and  almost  to  compel  him 
from  the  presence  of  the  dead  in  order  that  he  might 
take  rest  or  meals.  On  Saturday,  March  20th,  the  fu- 
neral took  place  in  the  Parish  Church  of  Hurtspierpoint. 
"  Hundreds  attended,  coming  from  miles  round." 

So  the  desire  of  his  eyes  was  taken  away  at  a  stroke. 
4* 


82  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1872 — 73. 

It  is  clear  to  us  now  why  this  should  have  been.  His 
heart  was  to  be  emptied  that  it  might  be  filled  with  that 
only  love  which  does  not  fade,  and  which  cannot  be 
taken  away.  Had  James  Hannington  written  an  epitaph 
upon  his  mother's  tomb,  it  would  have  been  couched  in 
some  such  terms  as  that  most  touching  inscription  in  a 
Paris  cemetery — "JDors  en  paix,  O  via  inh-e;  ton  fils  fobeira 
toujoursy  Her  memory  always  exercised  over  him  a 
hallowing  influence.  Nevertheless,  it  was,  perhaps,  need- 
ful for  him  that  the  human  voice  should  speak  no  more 
words  of  advice  and  sympathy,  that  he  might  be  taught 
to  listen  for  the  sound  of  that  "  still,  small  voice  "  which 
whispers  to  those  who  have  ears  to  hear  :  "  This  is  the 
way,  walk  thou  in  it." 

In  May,  1872,  Hannington  successfully  passed  his 
"  Moderations,"  and  resided  for  some  time  in  the  house 
of  Mr.  Morfill,  of  Oriel,  with  whom  he  decided  to  read 
for  his  next  Examination.  After  a  short  vacation  he 
continued  his  studies  with  Mr.  Rumsey,  and  determined 
that  he  would  put  an  end  to  trifling,  and  pass  the  final 
examination  for  his  Degree  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  following  entry  occurs  for  October  i8th  : — "Fa- 
ther, Bessie,  and  Blanche  Gould  came  to  stop  at  Oxford 
a  few  days.  Took  them  to  hear  Canon  Liddon,  who 
preached  a  magnificent  sermon."  A  few  days  later  a 
letter  appeared  on  his  breakfast-table,  in  which  his 
father  announced  his  intention  of  marrying  again,  and 
that  the  latter  lady  had  consented  to  become  his  wife. 
This  second  marriage  turned  out  very  happily,  and  by 
and  by  Hannington,  no  doubt,  understood  that  it  was 
better  thus  than  that  his  father  should  be  left  to  brood 
over  his  grief  in  a  house  from  which  -his  children  had 
flown  to  make  homes  for  themselves.  But  coming  so 
soon  after  the  death  of  his  mother,  to  whom  he  knew 


.JEt.  24,  25.]  Made  a  B.A.  83 

that  his  father  had  been  tenderly  attached,  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at  if,  at  first,  the  new  alliance  troubled 
him,  or  that  his  diary  should  record  his  feelings  in  the 
words,  "  I  am  terribly  cut  up  and  cast  down." 

He  set  to  work,  however,  in  good  earnest  to  bring  to 
a  close  his  already  too  prolonged  University  course, 
and,  early  in  December,  passed  with  credit  the  first  part 
of  **  Greats." 

On  May  15th,  1873,  he  rowed  for  the  last  time  in  the 
"eight."  "  Bumped  Keble."  "  Should  have  caught  Ex- 
eter, but  No.  3  caught  a  crab  instead."  Apparently  the 
crew  rather  fell  to  pieces  towards  the  end  of  the  week, 
for  the  next  entry  runs  :  "Of  all  atrocious  horrors,  this 
is  the  most  disgusting.  We  have  been  re-bumped  by 
Keble  ! " 

^'' May  2W1. — Lunched  at  MorfiU's.  3  p.m.,  garden 
party  at  Morrell's.  9  p.m.,  ball  at  Masonic  Hall,  given 
by  Ashmead-Bartlett."  And  so  on  through  a  list  of 
"Commemoration"  festivities. 

On  June  12th  Hannington  took  his  B.A.  Degree. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  TURNING-POINT. — ORDINATION. — THE  GREAT  CHANGE. 
(1873—74.) 

"  I  have  been  from  my  childhood  alway  of  a  riimorous  and 
stormy  nature."  Luther. 

"We  took  sweet  counsel  together,  and  walked  in  the  house  of 
God  as  friends."  Ps.  Iv.  14. 

"O  most  sweet  Lord  Jesus,  by  Thy  holy  Infancy,  Youth,  Bap- 
tism, Fasting,  scourges,  buffets,  thorny  crown, — Deliver  us." 

St.  Anselm. 

"About  this  time,"  Hannington  writes,  "a  different 
tone  began  to  steal  over  me  insensibly.    I  prayed  more." 

About  this  time  also  a  certain  friend  of  his  who  had 
recently  received  Hoi)''  Orders,  and  who  was  serving  as 
Curate  in  a  country  parish  in  Surrey,  began  to  think  of 
him.  In  the  solitude  of  his  lodgings,  when  the  day's 
work  was  done,  and  he  was  alone  with  his  own  thoughts, 
his  mind  would  rest  lovingly  upon  old  college  friend- 
ships. He  thought  of  James  Hannington — gay,  impetu- 
ous, friendly,  fun-loving  Jim — and  gradually  it  was  laid 
upon  his  heart  to  pray  for  him.  Why,  he  could  not  tell ; 
but  the  burden  of  that  other  soul  seemed  to  press  upon 
him  m.ore  heavily  day  by  day.  He  had  not  had  much 
experience  in  dealing  with  souls;  he  had  but  a  short 
time  before  learned  the  meaning  of  "  effectual,  fervent 
prayer  ";  he  would  have  been  called  "a  babe"  by  St. 
Paul;  not  yet  even  a  "  young  man,"  much  less  "  a  father." 
But  his  life  had  been  transformed  within  him,  and  filled 
(84) 


^Et.  25.]  A 71  Old  Pair  of  Skates.  85 

with  a  new  and  most  radiant  ]Q)y.  He  knew  himself  re- 
deemed, and  in  union  with  the  Father  of  Spirits  .with 
whom  is  no  changeableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning. 
He  could  not  now  have  lived  over  again  that  old  college 
life  of  his  as  once  he  had  been  content  to  live  it.  He 
thought  of  many  friends.  To  some  he  spoke,  and  tried 
to  make  them  partakers  with  him  of  his  new-found 
benefit.  For  some  he  sought  to  pray,  but  for  none  can 
he  ever  remember  to  have  prayed  with  such  a  distinct 
sense  that  he  must  pray  as  for  James  Hannington.  I 
find  the  following  entry  in  Hannington's  diary : 

"July  x^th. —     opened  a  correspondence  with  me 

to-day,  which  I  speak  of  as  delightful ;  it  led  to  my  con- 
version." 

Young  men  are  not,  as  a  rule,  good  correspondents, 
and  between  these  twain  no  letter  had  passed  for  nearly 
two  years.  Communication  was  reopened  in  the  follow- 
ing manner.  A  pair  of  skates  was  the  ostensible  cause. 
The  Curate  found  them,  with  other  rubbish,  in  a  box  full 
of  odds  and  ends,  and,  holding  them  in  his  hand,  remem- 
bered that  they  had  belonged  to  Hannington,  with  whom, 
after  the  manner  of  chums,  he  had  held  many  things  in 
common.  Then  and  there  he  sat  down  and  wrote  to 
Hurstpierpoint,  asking  his  friend  in  what  quarter  of  the 
world  he  might  be  found,  and  whither  he  would  wish 
those  same  skates  to  be  sent.  The  letter  v/as  forwarded  to 
Martinhoe.  In  due  time  came  a  kindly  response.  "  Glad 
to  hear  from  you  again.  Never  mind  the  skates  ;  keep 
them,  or  throw  them  away — anything  you  like  ;  but  tell 
me  about  yourself,"  and  so  on.  Then  followed  the  news 
that  he  was  meditating  ordination  ;  was  not  sure  that  he 
was  as  fit  as  he  ought  to  be,  with  more  to  the  same  effect, 
all  written  lightly  enough,  but  with  a  certain  something 


86  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1873 

of  seriousness  which  induced  the  Curate  to  think  that 
the  opportunity  he  had  been  seeking  might  have,  per- 
chance, arrived. 

He  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  the  opening  thus  given, 
though  not  without  a  certain  dread.  He  was  naturally- 
loth  to  lose  the  friendship  of  one  for  whom  he  enter- 
tained a  warm  affection.  He  remembered  Hannington's 
openly  expressed  dislike  of  religious  enthusiasm,  and 
his  contempt  for  all  canting  protestations  of  superior 
pijty.  It  was  not  without  a  mental  struggle  that  he  de- 
termined to  lay  bare  his  own  heart  to  an  eye  only  too 
probably  unsympathetic.  It  seemed  likely  that  this  let- 
ter of  his  might  open  a  wide  gulf  between  them.  Still, 
if  friendship  was  to  be  lost,  it  should  be  at  least  well 
lost.  So  he  reasoned,  and,  with  prayer  for  guidance, 
just  wrote  a  simple,  unvarnished  account  of  his  own 
spiritual  experience  ;  tried  to  explain  how  it  had  come 
to  pass  that  he  was  not  as  formerly ;  spoke  of  the  power 
of  the  love  of  Christ  to  transform  the  life  of  a  man,  and 
draw  out  all  its  latent  possibilities  ;  and  finally  urged 
him,  as  he  loved  his  own  soul,  to  make  a  definite  surren- 
der of  himself  to  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  join  the 
society  of  His  disciples.  This  done,  the  Curate  walked, 
not  without  misgivings  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  course 
he  had  adopted,  to  the  miscellaneous  little  shop  which 
did  duty  in  the  village  as  drapery  and  grocery  store, 
post-office,  and  what  not,  and  dropped  his  letter  into  the 
box. 

For  thirteen  months  no  answer  was  returned.  Prayer 
was  made  without  ceasing,  and  still  under  the  sense  of  a 
burden  imposed,  but  there  was  no  response.  The  Curate 
concluded  that  his  letter  had  been  consigned  to  the  ob- 
livion of  the  waste-paper  basket. 

He  was,  however,  wrong.     During  those  months  events 


JEt.  26.]  A  Repulse.  87 

were  happening  at  Martinhoe.     The  Hand  of  God  was 

not  idle,  and  the  seed  was  germinating. 

"  Thou  visitest  the  earth,  and  waterest  it : 
Thou  greatly  enrichest  it ; 
The  river  of  God  is  full  of  water ; 

Thou  providest  com,  when  Thou  hast  so  prepared  the  earth ; 
Thou  waterest  her  furrows  abundantly ; 
Thou  settlest  the  ridges  thereof: 
Thou  makest  it  soft  with  showers ; 
Thou  blessest  the  springing  thereof: 
Thou  crownest  the  year  with  Thy  gladness." — Ps.  Ixv. 

But  seed,  whether  sown  in  the  heart  of  a  man  or  in  the 
furrows  of  the  field,  must  be  allowed  time  to  develop 
and  strike  root.  The  husbandman  must  not  be  impa- 
tient, but  wait  for  the  "crown  of  the  year." 

Seed  had  been  sown  in  Hannington's  heart  which  was 
not  destined  to  perish  ;  but  that  heart  still  needed  fur- 
ther preparation  for  its  upspringing.  We  may  compare 
the  events  that  followed,  with  their  wholesome  lacera- 
tion of  his  pride,  to  the  harrow  in  the  Hand  of  his  God. 

On  September  8th  he  writes  :  "  The  Bishop  has  put 
the  exam,  a  week  earlier,  which  will,  no  doubt,  entirely 
undo  me,  as  I  have  left  my  Prayer-Book  for  the  last 
fortnight's  reading."  He  had  yet,  then,  to  learn  that 
"cramming,"  however  permissible  in  other  cases,  should 
have  no  place  in  an  examination  for  such  a  charge  as 
that.     He  goes  on  to  record  : 

"  Sept.  i']th. — Exeter;  in  uncomfortable  lodgings.  Did 
a  paper  at  9.30  ;  fairly  well.  11.30,  another  paper  ;  did 
well.  1.30,  dined  with  the  Bishop.  5.30,  another  paper. 
8  P.M.,  chapel,  with  a  sermon  from  the  Bishop. 

"i8//?. — Over-read  last  night.  Passed  a  sleepless 
night ;  woke  exceedingly  unwell.  Three  more  papers, 
one  of  which  was  the  Prayer-Book.     Unable  to  do  any- 


88  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1873. 

thing  ;  had  been  disappointed  of  a  week's  reading,  and 
was  also  very  ill. 

"  \()th. — Another  bad  night.  Three  more  papers;  and 
on  the  20th  was,  as  I  thought,  unkindly  dismissed  by  the 
Bishop — '  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  your  paper  on  the  Prayer- 
Book  is  insufficient.  If  you  go  down  to  Mr.  Percival,  he 
will  tell  you  all  about  it.  Good-morning.'  I  was  so  con- 
founded that  I  was  nearly  overwhelmed  with  despair, 
Mrs.  Dovell  told  me  afterv/ards  that  she  thought  I  should 
have  died  or  gone  off  my  head." 

Hannington  told  me,  some  time  after,  that  the  shame 
and  confusion  of  his  failure  came  upon  him  at  first  as  a 
sickening  blow.  He  thought  that  he  should  never  raise 
his  head  again.  Then,  as  he  thought  of  his  own  unwis- 
dom and  of  the  Bishop's  hard  manner  towards  him,  he 
gave  way  to  an  ungovernable  burst  of  passion.  He  was 
filled  will  furious  madness,  partly  against  himself,  and 
partly  at  the  recollection  of  what  seemed  like  an  insult 
inflicted  on  him.  He  was  suffering  himself  to  be  swept 
along  upon  the  full  tide  of  this  stormy  mood,  when  sud- 
denly the  thought  struck  him,  as  though  he  heard  spoken 
words  of  warning,  '■'■  If  you  can  give  way  like  this,  are  yotc 
fit  to  offer  yourself  as  a  minister  of  Christ  ?  " 

He  was  sobered  in  an  instant.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
his  defeat  had  been  ordered  in  the  providence  of  God. 
He  resolved  to  accept  it  humbly,  and  to  strive  to  ap- 
prove himself  a  more  worthy  candidate  upon  another 
occasion. 

Hannington  now  went  back  to  Oxford,  in  order  that 
he  might  read  with  Mr.  Morfill.  The  following  sad  oc- 
currence impressed  him  :  "  Loyd,  one  of  our  men,  nephew 
to  Lord  Dufferin,  cut  his  throat  last  night.  This  has 
thrown  a  gloom  over  the  place.     He  is  just  alive.     He 


JEt.  26.]  Tempted  to  Drazv  Back.  89 

did  it  from  despair  about  the  schools;  but  his  mind  was 
evidently  affected." 

He  wrote,  about  this  time  :  "  How  I  dread  ordination  ! 
I  would  willingly  draw  back  ;  but  when  I  am  tempted  to 
do  so  I  hear  ringing  in  my  ears,  '  Whoso  putteth  his  hand 
to  the  plow,  and  looketh  back,  is  not  fit  for  the  kingdom 
of  God.'     What  am  I  to  do  ?     What  ? " 

When  it  is  remembered  that  Hannington  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  sufficient  competency,  and  that  at  this  time 
he  had  as  large  an  income  as  ever  in  his  life,  it  will  be 
plain  that  he  was  not  influenced  in  his  decision  to  per- 
severe by  any  monetary  considerations. 

The  temptation  to  lead  the  independent  life  of  a  pri- 
vate gentleman,  and  to  occupy  himself  with  his  favorite 
scientific  pursuits,  must  have  been  very  strong.  Many 
young  men  in  his  position  would  have  easily  succumbed 
to  it.  As  an  explorer,  or  in  independent  research  into 
the  vast  realm  of  natural  history,  he  might  easily  have 
distinguished  himself,  and  satisfied  any  thirst  of  ambi- 
tion which  might  possess  him.  He  was  his  own  master. 
The  whole  world  was  open  before  him;  and  he  was  one 
who  would  never  have  let  time  drag  heavily,  or  have 
been  at  a  loss  for  employment  and  interest. 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  man  that  he  should  have 
shaken  this  temptation  from  him,  and,  with  steady  de- 
termination, faced  what  he  now  dreaded  with  an  almost 
morbid  fear.  His  conscience  would  not  have  absolved 
him  else.  "Whoso  putteth  his  hand  to  the  plow,  and 
looketh  back,  is  not  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God."  Those 
words  held  him  fast  to  his  purpose. 

The  end  of  1873  found  Hannington  back  at  Martin- 
hoe,  among  the  Devon  farmers.  He  went  to  one  of 
those  parties  described  before,  and  danced  the  old  year 
out.    Having  performed  this  rite,  he  returned  to  Oxford, 


go  James  Hminington.  [A.D.  1874. 

where  he  took  part  in  a  series  of  gaieties,  and  then 
started  for  Exeter,  to  face  once  more  the  Bishop's  Chap- 
lain and  his  papers. 

He  was  terribly  nervous  and  agitated;  could  not  sleep 
at  all  that  first  night.  He  faced  his  papers  next  morn- 
ing in  such  a  frame  of  mind  that  it  was  impossible  he 
could  do  his  best.  He  was  one  of  those  men  for  whom 
an  examination  has  real  terrors.  What  he  knew  best 
and  most  accurately,  on  such  occasions  fled  out  of  his 
mind,  and  left  him  in  a  state  of  helpless  blankness. 

There  are  some  men  who  never  show  their  powers  so 
well  as  across  a  green-baize  table-cloth,  and  confronted 
by  two  examiners.  They  pass  everything  with  ease  and 
credit,  and  afterwards  disappoint  the  expectations  of 
their  friends.  There  are  others  who,  though  hopelessly 
stumbled  under  such  circumstances,  and  able  to  bring 
to  the  front  nothing  that  they  know,  yet  leave  their  mark 
upon  the  world.     Hannington  v^'^as  one  of  the  latter  sort. 

On  the  present  occasion  he  was  thoroughly  well  pre- 
pared in  his  various  subjects;  but  by  the  time  the  exam- 
ination drew  to  a  close  he  had  worked  himself  into  such 
a  state  of  nervous  excitement,  that  it  was  almost  impos- 
sible for  him  to  do  himself  credit. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  the  examination  he  was  sum- 
moned into  the  presence  of  the  Bishop.  He  was  told 
that  his  paper  showed  evidence  of  hard  and  conscien- 
tious reading,  but  that  his  matter  had  been  badly  han- 
dled (how  could  it  be  otherwise,  poor  fellow,  when  his 
ideas  were  utterly  muddled  and  gone  astray  !) ;  and,  in 
fine,  that  he  must  remain  a  deacon  for  two  j'^ears,  and 
come  up  for  an  intermediary  examination.  With  this 
information,  and — "You've  got  fine  legs,  I  see:  mind 
that  you  run  about  your  parish.  Good-morning  " — he 
was  dismissed. 


JEt.  20.] 


Ordination.  9' 


The  following  day  the  Ordination  took  place  in  the 

Cathedral, 

Through  the  silent  aisles  sounds   the  Archdeacon's 

voice — 

''Reverend  Father  in  God,  I  present  unto  you  these persofis 
present  to  be  admitted  Deacons T 

Then,  after  the  heart-stirring  petitions  of  the  Litany, 
the  Bishop  is  heard  to  ask  : 

"  Do  you  trust  that  you  are  inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  take  upon  you  this  office  and  ministration,  to  serve 
God  for  the  promoting  of  His  Glory,  and  the  edifying  of  His 
people  ?  " 

A  moment's  silence,  and  then  from  each  candidate  the 

answer — 
"  /  trust  so." 

And  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  Hannington  made 
this  answer  with  all  sincerity,  according  to  the  light  he 
then  possessed.  That  Ordination  was  to  him  very  awful, 
and  full  of  solemnity.  Behind  Bishop  and  officiating 
clergy,  he  saw  One  to  whose  awful  Majesty  he  had  con- 
secrated the  service  of  his  life. 

"  So,"  said  he  to  himself,  as  he  left  the  Cathedral,  "  I 
am  Ordained,  and  the  world  has  to  be  crucified  in  me. 
O  for  God's  Holy  Spirit !  " 

The  next  day  he  met  the  Principal  in  the  Quadrangle 
of  St.  Mary  Hall.  "  He,  having  known  me  in  my  wildest 
and  noisiest  times,  said,  in  his  dry  way,  '  I  am  not  certain 
whether  you  are  to  be  congratulated  or  not.'  " 

On  the  Sunday  following,  Hannington  assisted  in  the 
Services  at  Hurst,  and  preached  his  first  sermon,  which 
he  pronounces-probably  not  without  reason-to  have 
been  "  feeble,  in  fact,  not  quite  sound."  In  spite  of  the 
congratulations  of  his  friends,  he  tore  it  up. 


92 


James  Hannington. 


[A.D.  1874. 


The  next  Sunday  he  commenced  his  duty  as  Curate  o£ 
Trentishoe.  The  people  crowded  into  the  little  church 
to  see  their  old  friend  in  his  new  garb.  Alas  !  he  had 
not  yet  much  to  the  purpose  to  say  to  them.  Services 
in  those  parts  v/ere  conducted  in  a  primitive  manner 
enough.  Take  the  following  example  : — "  I  went  over 
to  Parracombe. 

"  Clerk  :  *  We  are  going  to  have  service  in  the  school- 
room this  evening,  sir.     We  like  it  better.' 


curate's  rooms  at  martinhoe. 

"  *  Oh  ;  well,  what  does  Mr.  Leakey  do  ? ' 

Why,  sir,  he  reads,  prays  extempore,  and  expounds. 
He  don't  preach  no  sermon,  and  don't  wear  no  gown.' 

"  I,  dreadfully  nervous  :  '  I  think  I  will  read  the  Even- 
ing Service,  Jones.     Is  there  a  Bible  ?' 

"'No,  sir,  there  ain't;  he  do  bring  his  own  with  him.' 

"  More  nervous  than  ever,  I  gave  out  a  hymn.  Then, 
while  they  were  singing  it,  in  came  a  surplice,  which  I 
put  on.     Next  a  lamp,  which  was  most  acceptable. 

"I  then  said  I  would  read  the  Litany;  so  I  com- 
menced.    Then  a  Bible  was  found  and  thrust  on  to  the 


^t.  26.]  A    Country  Curate  at  Home.  93 

table,  so  I  was  able  to  read  a  Lesson.  Then  came  the 
most  trying  ordeal.  The  table  was  quite  low.  I  had 
not  my  glasses,  and  did  not  like  to  hold  my  sermon-case 
up  before  me,  so  I  had  to  lean  on  my  elbows,  stick  my 
legs  out  behind  me,  and  thus  read  painfully  through  my 
paper.  Moral  :  '  Learn  to  preach  and  pray  without 
book.'  " 

Ah,  me  !  Was  there  ever  such  a  Curate  before  or 
since  !     Let  us  hear  him  describe  himself  : 

"  Here  I  am,  a  lone  man,  living  in  a  singularly  out-of- 
the-way  place,  Curate  of  Martinhoe  and  Trentishoe ; 
clad  in  a  pair  of  Bedford-cord  knee-breeches  of  a  yel- 
low color,  continued  below  with  yellow  Sussex  gaiters 
C spats')  with  brass  buttons.  Below  these  a  stout  pair 
of  nail  boots,  four  inches  across  the  soles,  and  weighing 
fully  four  pounds.  My  upper  garment,  an  all-round  short 
jerkin  of  black  cloth,  underneath  which  an  ecclesiastical 
waistcoat,  buttoning  up  at  the  side.  N.B. — The  two 
latter  articles  of  clothing  I  always  wear.  I  am  seated 
in  as  pleasant  a  room  as  you  would  wish  to  see.  Wilton 
carpet,  old  china,  piano,  arm-chairs,  numberless  pictures, 
and  large  candelabras.  Only  there  is  no  fire,  and  it  is 
very  cold— but  alas  !  my  chimney  smokes." 

That  last  item  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  the  cottage 
in  which  he  took  up  his  abode  was  close  under  a  steep 
hill,  and  a  strong  down  draught  was  almost  inevitable. 

Paying  a  visit  to  a  parish  in  Essex  where  he  had  to 
respect  the  conventionalities  and  don  the  usual  clerical 
habiliments,  he  says  :  "  I  found  it  a  great  burden  going 
about  in  black  clothes  and  top  hat !  I  never  could  stop 
in  such  a  place  ! " 

I  find  just  here  a  note  of  his  first  missionary  meeting, 
which  is  interesting  in  view  of  his  future  life  : 


94  James  Hannitigton.  [A.D.  1874. 

^^July  T,oth. — I  went  to  my  first  missionary  meeting  at 
Parracombe.  I  was  made  to  speak,  much  against  my 
will,  as  I  know  nothing  about  the  subject,  and  take  little 
interest  in  it.  There  was  an  old  Colonel  Simpson,  who 
spoke  after  me,  and  gave  me  such  an  indirect  dressing, 
that  I  made  up  my  mind  never  in  future  to  speak  on  any 
subject  until  I  knew  something  about  it." 

The  rough  work  of  a  Devonshire  parish  exactly  suited 
Hannington's  temperament.  Such  adventures  as  the 
following  were  quite  to  his  mind  : 

"  As  I  had  ridden  my  pony  more  than  fifty  miles  last 
week,  and  had  a  hard  ride  yesterda}?^,  I  determined,  in- 
stead of  going  round  by  the  road,  to  cross  Exmoor,  to 
take  duty  at  Challacombe.  When  I  got  on  to  the  moor 
a  dense  fog  came  on,  and  I  soon  lost  my  way.  I  gal- 
loped up  hill  and  down  in  mist  and  rain  from  nine  till 
eleven,  which  was  the  hour  of  Church  Service,  and  then 
was  still  as  much  lost  as  ever.  I  determined  to  give  up 
church,  throw  the  reins  on  the  pony's  neck,  and  let  him 
take  me  back  home.  Presently  I  struck  a  track  which 
promised  at  least  to  lead  somewhere,  so  once  more  clap- 
ping spurs  to  my  pony,  I  galloped  along,  and  soon  came  to 
a  gate  w^hich  led  me  off  the  moor.  This  track  brought  us 
to  a  farmhouse,  and  there  a  man  volunteered  to  accom- 
pany me,  'for,'  said  he,  'you  will  lose  yourself  again  if 
I  don't.'  I  arrived  at  church,  and  found  the  people 
sitting  patiently  in  the  pews,  discussing  with  one  an- 
other whether  I  would  turn  up.  They  all  thought  I  was 
lost.  I  whispered  to  the  clerk  how  it  had  happened. 
*Iss,'  said  he  in  loud  tones,  'we  reckoned  you  was  lost; 
but  now  you  are  here,  go  and  put  on  your  surples,  and 
be  short,  for  we  all  want  to  get  back  to  dinner.'  Drip- 
ping wet  as  I  was,  I  put  on  the  surplice  over  all,  and 


JEt.  26.]        A  Messenger  without  a  Message.  95 

gave  them  a  shortened  service.     In  the  afternoon  I  got 
back  in  time  for  church  at  Martinhoe." 

So  he  spent  his  time  among  those  scattered  hamlets, 
doing  the  best  he  knew;  and  doing  it  with  all  his  heart. 
Riding  on  his  rough  Exmoor  pony  with  his  Prayer-Book 
in  one  pocket  of  his  shooting-jacket,  and  medicines  for 
some  sick  person  in  another.  Welcomed  everywhere. 
Admired  by  the  young  men  and  beloved  by  the  aged, 
to  whom  he  was  as  a  son.  They  forgot  that  he  had 
come  among  them  as  a  stranger,  and  treated  him  as 
though  he  were  a  born  son  of  the  soil. 

The  life  was  entirely  after  his  own  heart,  and  yet  he 
was  not  happy.  The  people  were  content  with  him,  but 
he  was  not  content  with  his  own  ministrations  to  them. 
He  was  parson,  doctor,  family  friend,  all  in  one.  He 
felt  that  he  could  be  of  some  use  to  the  poor  and  needy. 
He  sat  up  long  nights  with  the  sick  and  dying.  His 
purse  was  always  at  the  command  of  those  in  want. 
He  could  and  did  sometimes  preach  vehement  sermons 
against  prevalent  vices,  such  as  immorality,  and  excessive 
drinking  at  "wakes"  and  feasts,  but  he  could  not  preach 
the  "Word  of  Life."  As  he  visited  the  sick  and  dying, 
or  "  read  Prayers  "  in  bald-looking,  uncared-for  country 
churches,  and  held  up  his  manuscript  sermon  to  his  eyes 
in  presence  of  sleepy  audiences  of  tired  laboring  folk, 
he  realized  that  ever  more  keenly.  He  was  not  giving 
them  the  Word  of  Life.  How  could  he,  when  he  did  not 
himself  possess  the  secret  of  that  Life  !  The  burden  of 
his  great  responsibility  weighed  upon  him  more  heavily 
every  day.  He  began  to  understand,  as  he  had  never 
understood  before,  that  he  was  not  right  with  God. 
God's  ordained  Messenger  with  no  Message  to  deliver — 
that  was  his  position.     A  position,  to  his  transparently- 


96  James  Hamiington.  [A.D,  1874. 

honest  soul  altogether  insupportable.  He  began  to  be 
in  great  distress- 
Some  thirteen  months  had  passed  since  that  letter 
bearing  the  post-mark  of  a  Surrey  village  had  reached 
him.  It  had  not  been  answered.  The  friend  who  wrote 
that  letter  had  concluded  it  burnt,  perhaps  with  indig- 
nation, or,  maybe,  with  scornful  contempt.  How  could 
he  know  that  it  had  been  treasured  up,  read,  and  re-read, 
and  that  it  would  prove  to  be  the  turning-point  of  a  life  ! 
But  Hannington's  own  words  will  best  describe  the 
phase  of  his  mind  during  this  important  period  of  his 
career  : 

"And  now,"  he  says,  "comes  a  tale  of  surpassing  in- 
terest to  me.     More  than   a  year  ago wrote  me  a 

letter.  I  did  not  answer  it,  although  the  impression  it 
made  never  left  me.  Time  passed  on,  and  I  knew  that 
I  was  not  right.  I  sought  and  sought  most  earnestly, 
at  times  being  in  terrible  bondage  of  spirit,  and  doubts, 
and  fears.  I  began  to  despair  of  ever  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Truth.     At  length  I  again  wrote  to 

,  and  begged  him  to  come  and  pay  me  a  visit.    Most 

earnestly  did  I  pray  that  he  might  come  and  bring  me 
light,  as  Ananias  did  to  St.  Paul." 
This  letter  ran  as  follows  : 

"  My  dear  Colonel,* — Can  you  come  and  see  me  ? 
Even  a  short  visit.  I  am  in  much  distress  of  soul  and 
want  your  advice.  I  am  so  sorry  that  I  did  not  answer 
your  last  letter.  It  was  not,  I  assure  you,  through  want 
of  interest  in  its  contents.  It  has  never  been  off  my 
table  during  the  past  year,  and  I  have  read  it  again  and 
again.     Do  come  and  see  me  if  you  can. 

"Yours,  James  Hannington." 

*  A  nickname  by  which  his  friend  was  known  at  college. 


^t.  26.]  Crying  for  the  Light.  97 

Alas  !  his  friend  was  not  master  of  his  own  time.  He 
could  not  be  spared  from  his  work  at  the  busiest  time 
of  the  year  to  make  a  journey  into  distant  Devonshire. 
He  was  strangely  moved  by  this  marvellous  response  to 
his  prayers.  He  now  understood  hov/  it  was  that  the 
burden  of  that  soul  had  never  ceased  to  press  upon  him 
during  all  that  time.  He  at  once  did  what  he  was  able. 
He  wrote  what  he  thought  might  be  helpful  to  one  in 
spiritual  darkness  and  distress  ;  he  invited  Hannington 
to  come  and  see  him  ;  and  laying  his  hand  upon  the  only 
suitable  book  which  he  then  happened  to  have  upon  his 
writing-table,  sent  it  with  the  letter  to  Martinhoe.  This 
book  was  "  Grace  and  Truth,"  by  the  late  Dr.  Macka}', 
of  Hull.  A  book  which,  if  somewhat  crude  and  dog- 
matic in  its  statements,  and  apt  thereby  to  repel,  has  at 
least  the  merit  of  stating  its  facts  in  a  clear  and  forcible 
manner.  The  index  finger  may  be  a  rude  one,  but  it 
points  plainly  and  emphatically  where  lies  that  narrow 
path  which  leads  through  the  Cross  of  Jesus  to  eter- 
nal life. 

Hannington  was  dreadfully  disappointed.    He  writes: 

"  I  was  in  despair.  It  seemed  to  sound  my  death- 
knell.     I  thought  the  Lord  would  not  answer  me." 

He  sent  the  following  to  his  friend: 

"My  dear  Colonel, — Many  thanks  for  thinking  of 
me.  I  cannot  possibly  come  to  you.  I  wish  that  I 
could;  and  that  for  many  reasons:  one  is  that  darkness, 
coldness,  and  barrenness  have  seized  hold  upon  me,  and 
I  cannot  shake  them  off.  I  am,  I  don't  know  in  what 
state,  unless  I  am  being  bound  by  the  devil  hand  and 
foot.  But  I  mean  to  fight  him  desperately  hard,  if  only 
I  am  helped.  I  cannot  do  it  alone.  Oh,  for  strength  to 
rise  and  triumph  ! — Yours  very  affectionately, 

"James  Hannington." 
5 


98  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1874, 

Shortly  after  came  the  following,  in  reply  to  another 
letter  : 

"  My  dear  Colonel, — I  am  so  much  obliged  to  you 
for  remembering  me.  I  can  assure  you  that  I  appreciate 
it  deeply.  There  are  few  to  whom  one  seems  united  in 
a  bond  closer  than  that  of  relationship;  at  least,  I  know 
very  few  to  whom  I   can  really  open  my  heart  as  I  can 

to  you I  feel  depressed  at  the  fact  that,  when  I 

would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me.  I  have  no  faith, 
I  can  lay  hold  of  nothing.  I  cannot  believe  that  I  can 
ever  be  saved;  and  I  feel  that  I  have  no  right  to  preach 
to  others.  I  try  to  feel  that  God  willeth  not  the  death 
of  a  sinner,  but  no,  I  can  preach  it,  and  feel  it  for  other 
persons,  not  for  myself.  How  few  rays  of  light  seem  to 
shine  upon  me  !  Will  the  sun  ever  break  through  the 
clouds  so  that  I  shall  be  able  to  say,  'Jesus  is  mine  and 
I  am  His'?  I  shall  try  and  visit  you  if  I  can.  Very 
many  thanks  for  the  book;  I  will  read  it  shortly. 
"  Yours  very  affectionately, 

''James  Hannington." 

As  Hannington  could  not  obtain  an  interview  with 
his  friend,  he  turned  to  the  book  which  he  had  sent. 
In  his  private  diary  he  writes  : 

"  I  determined  to  read  every  word  of  the  book.  So  I 
began  with  the  preface.  Here  I  soon  perceived  that  the 
book  was  unscholarly,  for  the  argument  is  built  upon 
Matt.  XV.  27,  'Truth,  Lord,'  which  the  author  treats 
as  a\r]6ha,  instead  of  the  exclamation  rai.  This  was 
enough  for  me.  I  therefore  threw  the  book  away  and 
refused  to  read  it." 

We  may  observe  here  that  Hannington  was  wrong. 
Dr.  Mackay  does  not  make  the  mistake  with  which  he 
hastily  charged  him.     It  might  be  possible  for  a  reader 


/Et.  27.]        Criticism  on  "  Grace  and  Truth."  99 

to  suppose  that  he  confuses  the  two  words  because  he 
does  not  take  sufficient  care  to  make  it  clear  that  the 
word  rendered  '^ Truth"  in  Matt.  xv.  27,  is  not  the  same 
word  as  '^ Truth  "  in  the  passage  "  Grace  and  Truth."  He 
certainly  does  not  take  proper  care  to  guard  the  reader 
against  the  supposition  that  no  play  upon  the  words  is 
intended.  But  it  cannot  be  fairly  urged  that  he  has  per- 
petrated in  his  preface  a  piece  of  palpable  and  gratuitous 
ignorance.  He  apparently  intends  to  deduce  from  the 
Syrophenician  woman's  "Truth,  Lord,"  no  more  than 
an  unqualified  assent  to  the  statement  of  Christ  with 
regard  to  her. 

But  Hannington  was  in  no  mood  to  have  mercy  upon 
the  book  or  its  author.  His  heart  was  sore  that  he 
could  not  have  his  friend.  The  poor  book  had  to  stand 
the  kicks.  Moreover  the  blunt  dogmatism  of  its  tone, 
effective  enough  with  a  certain  class  of  minds,  did  not 
fall  in  with  his  then  line  of  thought.  He  was  evidently 
glad  of  any  excuse  to  condemn  the  book  and  throw  it 
aside,  on  the  principle  that  "any  stick  is  good  enough 
to  beat  a  dog  with." 

So  "Grace  and  Truth"  lay  in  a  corner  unread  for 
some  little  while.  He  shall  himself  narrate  what  fol- 
lowed. 

"  When  I  left  on  the  i6th  of  September  for  Exeter 
and   St.    Petherwyn,   I    spied    that  old   book   and   said, 

* is  sure  to  ask  me  if  I  h,ave  read  it.     I  suppose  I 

must  wade  through  it';  and  so  stuffed  it  into  my  port- 
manteau. At  Petherwyn  I  took  the  book  out  and  read 
the  first  chapter.  I  disliked  it  so  much  that  I  deter- 
mined never  to  touch  it  again,  I  don't  know  that  I  did 
not  fling  it  across  the  room.  I  rather  think  I  did.  So 
back  into  my  portmanteau   it  went,  and  remained  until 


lOO  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1874. 

my  visit  to  Hurst,  when  I  again  saw  it,  and  thought  I 

might  as  well  read  it,  so  as  to  be  able  to  tell about 

it.  So  once  more  I  took  the  'old  thing,'  and  read 
straight  on  for  three  chapters  or  so,  until  at  last  I  came 
to  that  called  '  Do  you  feel  your  sins  forgiven  ? '  By 
means  of  this  my  eyes  were  opened." 

His  anxiety  had  been  great.  His  search  for  the  "hid" 
den  treasure  "  had  been  long,  continuous,  and  painful. 
His  joy  was  now  correspondingly  great.  His  pent-up 
feelings  rushed  forth  in  a  torrent  of  thanksgiving. 
Like  a  "certain  man"  of  old  Jerusalem,  who  "entered 
into  the  temple  walking  and  leaping  and  praising  God," 
so  he  could  not  contain  his  gladness  within  the  bounds 
of  quietness.  He  shook  off  the  chains  of  darkness  and 
bounded  into  the  light.     He  says  : 

"  I  was  in  bed  at  the  time  reading,  I  sprang  out  of 
bed  and  leaped  about  the  room  rejoicing  and  praising 
God  that  Jesus  died  for  me.  From  that  da)^  to  this*  I 
have  lived  under  the  shadow  of  His  wings  in  the  assur- 
ance of  faith  that  I  am  His  and  He  is  mine." 

And  truly  it  was  even  so.  Yet  did  he  not  immediately 
enter  into  the  full  assurance  of  faith.  For  some  time 
after  his  enlightenment  he  was,  to  use  his  own  favorite 
expression,  subject  to  fits  of  "bondage."  His  old  life 
would  assert  itself  strongly.  He  could  not  all  at  once 
shake  off  the  habits  of  thought  which  had  become  nat- 
ural to  him.  He  had  his  periods  of  darkness  and  light, 
despondency  and  rejoicing.  But  he  fought  a  good  fight, 
and  little  by  little  he  made  sure  his  ground,  until  finally 
he  emerged  from  the  mists  into  the  full  sunlight  of  the 
Father's  smile.     A  delightful  and  altogether  helpful  lit- 


*  This  note  was  written  just  before  his  second  missionary  jour- 
ney to  Africa. 


^t.  27.]  /  Knoiv  that  I  Believe.  loi 

tie  tract  entitled  "  Gripping  and  Slipping "  describes 
the  precarious  state  of  a  soul  which  has  not  learned  the 
secret  of  maintaining  its  grasp  upon  the  Hand  of  the 
ever-present  Christ.  Perhaps  only  they  who  have  had 
some  humiliating  experience  of  the  "  slipping "  state 
can  fully  appreciate  the  boundless  security  of  him  who 
"grips."  To  the  end  of  his  life  Hannington  refused  to 
throw  in  his  lot  with  those  who  apparently  teach  the 
possibility  of  Peace  without  Conflict;  but  when  once  he 
had  grasped  that  Hand,  he  followed  the  leading  of  the 
Spirit  with  the  unfaltering  faith  of  a  little  child.  There- 
after he  went  straight  forward,  nothing  wavering,  to  do 
the  duty  that  lay  nearest  to  him.  That  he  had  learned 
the  secret  of  "  the  overcoming  life  "  could  not  but  be 
recognized  by  those  who  watched  him  closely  and 
noticed  with  wondering  thankfulness  how  the  old  James 
Hannington  was  being,  day  by  day,  remodelled  into  a 
new  man;  the  same,  and  yet  another. 

The  following  letters  will  throw  some  light  upon  his 
state  of  mind  at  this  time  : 

"My  dear  Colonel, —  ....  The  chief  object  of  my 
letter  is  to  tell  you  how  very  useful  those  two  books  you 
have  given  me  have  been  made  to  me.  I  have  never 
seen  so  much  light  as  I  have  the  last  few  days.  I  know 
now  that  Jesus  Christ  died  for  me,  and  that  He  is  mine 
and  I  am  His.  And  all  this  you  are  the  human  means 
of  teaching  me.  Perhaps  to-morrow  I  shall  be  in  doubt 
and  despair,  but  not  as  I  have  been  before  ;  for  I  know 
that  /  believe,  and  I  can  tremblingly  exclaim,  '  Help  Thou 
mine  unbelief.'  Dear  Colonel,  what  thanks  I  owe  to 
you,  and  incomparably  little  with  what  I  owe  to  God  !  " 

"  I  ought  daily  to  be  more  thankful  to  you  as  the  in- 
strument by  which  I  was  brought  to  Christ,  and  to  know 
that  He  died  for  me.     Unspeakable  joy  !  " 


I02  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1874. 

"  I  have  been  rejoicing  so  lately  that  I  fear  it  may 
come  from  Satan  puffing  me  up,  for  I  do  so  little  for 
Christ.  My  prayers  and  praise  are  so  dead  and  formal. 
I  love  the  things  of  this  world  so  much,  and  Jesus  so 
little,  that  I  ought  always  to  be  mourning.  'Sorrowful, 
yet  always  rejoicing,'  I  know.  Yet  latterly  I  have  been 
rejoicing,  and  not  sorrowful,  although  I  have  so  much 
in  me  about  which  I  ought  to  lament.  Do  write  and  tell 
me  am  I  wrong.  Can  that  peace  be  false  that  comes 
from  the  knowledge  of  forgiveness  of  sins  through  the 
belief  that  Jesus  died  for  me  ?  No,  never.  I  feel  that 
it  cannot,  it  cannot  be  false  (Tit.  i.  2)." 

"  How  wonderfully  I  have  been  led  on  from  one  thing 
to  another,  though  at  the  time  imperceptibly  !  I  speak 
of  my  choosing  the  Ministry  when  I  was  most  unfit  for 
it.  Then  again  getting  sent  back  from  Exeter,  when  I 
now  see  that  to  have  passed  the  examination  then  would 
have  been  the  very  worst  thing  that  could  have  hap- 
pened to  me.  Again,  our  friendship,  which  for  some  time 
had  been  dormant,  renewing  itself,  and  proving  so  ex- 
traordinarily useful  to  me  !....!  fear  that  the  tone  of 
this  letter  is  shockingly  boastful,  and  one  which  I  am 
not  worthy  to  adopt.  You  will  have  to  set  me  back  in- 
to a  lower  seat !  The  Lord  keep  me  humble !  How 
much  instruction  I  stand  in  need  of  !  Cease  not  to  pray 
for  me." 

On  the  nineteenth  of  October  in  this  year,  1874,  Han- 
nington paid  a  visit  to  his  correspondent  in  Surrey.  The 
stress  of  his  great  anxiety  of  mind  had  left  its  evident 
traces  upon  him.  He  was  far  from  well,  and  tired  too 
with  his  journey.  He  did  not,  moreover,  find  it  so  easy 
to  talk  to  an  old  companion  and  sharer  of  his  jests,  as  it 
had  been  to  write  to  him  about  the  secrets  of  his  soul. 
This  just  at  first : 


^t.  27.]  A   Humble  Disciple.  1 03 

"Well,  Colonel." 

"Well,  Jim." 

"  How  are  you,  old  fellow  ? " 

"Glad  to  see  you,  dear  old  man." 

Then  some  conversation  upon  general  subjects,  old 
friends,  and  old  customs.  But,  by  and  by,  when  both 
had  settled  into  their  chairs,  and  looked  each  other  in 
the  face,  the  subject  uppermost  in  their  hearts  could  no 
longer  be  kept  in  the  background.  The  barriers  of  re- 
serve were  broken  down  ;  and  before  long  they  found 
themselves  telling  each  other  without  constraint  how  the 
Lord  had  dealt  with  their  souls. 

That  evening  the  Curate  held  a  Cottage  Lecture  in  a 
distant  part  of  the  parish.  Seeing  that  Hannington  was 
worn  out  and  haggard-looking,  he  tried  to  persuade  him 
to  remain  at  home.  He,  however,  insisted  that  he  should 
be  allowed  to  go.  So  arm  in  arm  the  two  sallied  forth. 
His  friend  will  not  easily  forget  that  walk.  As  they 
threaded  their  way  among  the  gravel  pits,  and  crossed 
the  mile  of  rough  common  and  deep  and  muddy  lanes, 
Hannington's  conversation  was  always  upon  the  one 
subject.  Having  once  conquered  his  shyness,  he  laid 
bare  his  heart  in  the  confidence  of  that  hour. 

When  they  reached  the  cottage  he  would  not  be  per- 
suaded to  take  any  part  in  the  service.  He  had  come, 
he  said,  as  a  learner  ;  he  would  sit  among  the  audience. 
So  he  quietly  waited,  while  his  friend  went  among  the 
adjoining  cottages  to  gather  in  some  laggards,  and  then 
took  his  place,  somewhere  in  a  corner,  among  the  group 
of  poor  folk  who  crowded  the  little  room.  He  was  still, 
in  his  own  estimation,  the  humblest  of  disciples. 

I  find  the  following  note  about  this  in  his  diary  : 

*^  Evening. — To   my  great   astonishment  took   a 


I04  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1874. 

Cottage  Lecture.  I  feared  that  I  never  could  do  a  thing 
of  that  sort." 

His  friend  now  urged  him  strongly  to  try,  at  least 
when  he  was  addressing  small  audiences  of  country 
people  in  Devonshire,  to  preach  extempore.  Hitherto 
he  had  been  bound  entirely  and  rigidly  to  his  paper. 
Even  in  his  private  devotions  he  seldom  ventured  be- 
yond his  book  of  prayers.  To  his  marked  energy  and 
decision  of  character  he  united  depreciation  of  himself 
and  distrust  of  his  own  motives  to  a  singular  degree. 
This  made  the  study  of  his  religious  life  peculiarly  in- 
teresting. Every  step  made  toward  spiritual  liberty  was 
the  result  of  close  and  unsparing  self-examination.  He 
would  remorselessly  probe  his  feelings  and  every  rami- 
fication of  them  before  he  would  permit  himself  indul- 
gence in  any  new  "liberty."  Never  did  any  apply  the 
scalpel  and  dissecting-knife  more  ruthlessly  to  his  own 
"vile  body"  than  did  James  Hannington. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he  saw  plainly  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  tell  people  what  he  knew,  as  the  Lord 
had  told  himself — and  to  tell  it  as  simply  as  possible  ; 
hence  he  soon  decided  to  discard  the  manuscript  ser- 
mon, and  adopt  the  practice  of  taking  his  thoughts  only 
into  the  pulpit,  in  the  form  of  notes,  leaving  the  words 
that  were  to  clothe  them  to  the  inspiration  of  the  mo- 
ment. 

That  visit  was  useful  to  both  the  friends.  The  one  had 
realized  the  meaning  of  that  statement  of  Carlyle,  "  It 
is  certain  my  belief  gains  quite  infinitely  the  moment  I 
can  convince  another  mind  thereof."  The  other  left,  en- 
couraged to  go  back  to  his  charge  among  the  Devon- 
shire moors,  and  tell  all  men  boldly  what  great  things 
the  Lord  had  done  for  him. 

I  may,   perhaps,   be  permitted  to   repeat  here  some 


-^t.  27.]         Recollections  of  his  Companion.  105 

words  written  by  his  companion  in  recollection  of  this 
period  : 

"  Very  touching  is  it  now  to  me  to  think  of  those  days 
in  the  light  of  his  subsequent  life.  None  who  saw  his 
strong  nature  thus  receiving  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a 
little  child  can  ever  doubt  that  to  him  it  was  granted 
to  see  that  Kingdom  indeed.  I  shall  not  readily  forget 
the  morning  on  which  he  departed.  Together  we  got 
into  the  little  two-wheeled  pony  cart,  and  together  we 
drove  over  the  long  stretch  of  beeeze-swept  common 
which  lies  between  Hale  and  the  Camp  Station,  at  which 
he  purposed  to  meet  his  train.  As  mental  impressions 
sometimes  interweave  themselves  with  scenery,  and  the 
memory  of  the  one  unconsciously  revives  the  other,  so 
can  I  never  dissociate  that  drive  from  the  interchange 
of  thoughts  for  which  it  afforded  the  opportunity.  The 
white  road,  which  undulates,  now  past  clumps  of  fir- 
trees,  now  between  banks  tipped  with  yellow  furze, 
again  over  long  stretches  of  common,  and  the  bright 
freshness  of  that  sunny  morning,  will  be  to  me  ever,  as 
it  were,  the  binding  of  the  volume  of  the  book  wherein 
are  written  many  precious  words." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WORK    AT    TRENTISHOE    AND    DARLEY    ABBEY. 
(1875.) 

"  There  is  small  chance  of  truth  at  the  goal  when  there  is  not 
childlike  humility  at  the  starting-post."  COLERIDGE. 

Hannington  returned  to  Trentishoe  in  a  very  different 
frame  of  mind  from  that  in  which  he  had  quitted  it.  Like 
that  captain  of  the  host  of  the  King  of  Syria  who  went 
back  to  his  master  with  his  flesh  "  like  unto  the  flesh  of 
a  little  child,"  he  felt  himself  to  have  become  a  new  man. 
Some  little  further  time,  however,  was  to  elapse  before 
he  would  fully  realize  all  the  conditions  of  his  new  life, 
or  dare  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  as  one 
who  had  himself  been  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of  the 
Founder. 

I  do  not  note  that  his  sermons  became  all  at  once 
markedly  evangelistic.  It  would  have  been  very  unlike 
him  if  they  had.  Whatever  faults  he  may  have  had, 
preaching  beyond  his  own  experience  was  not  one  of 
them.  Whether  or  no  he  had  read  old  John  Byrom's  ad- 
vice to  preachers,  he  so  far  followed  it,  that 

"  he  never  dealt 
In  the  false  commerce  of  a  truth  unfelt." 

In  this  lay  much  of  the  power  of  his  preaching.  He  pro- 
claimed what  he  knew.  But  this  very  honesty  of  his 
forbids  the  supposition  that  his  sermons  were,  at  this 
time,  upon  a  higher  level  of  spiritual  life  than  that  to 
which  he  himself  had  attained.  The  freedom,  the  "unc- 
(106) 


^t.  27.]  A   "  Stickit  Minister,"  107 

tion,"  and  the  blessing  were  soon  to  follow.  In  the 
meanv/hile  he  resolved  that  he  would  try  what  he  could 
do  without  his  hitherto  inseparable  pulpit  companion, 
the  sermon-case.     He  says  : 

"  Sunday  Morning. — I  determined,  at  the  eleventh  hour, 
that,  by  the  help  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  would  preach 
extempore,  in  spite  of  myself  and  my  protestations  to  the 
contrary.     I  had  not,  previous  to  this  morning,  prayed  to 

be  led  to  do  it,  and  so  I  felt  it  was  in  answer  to 's 

prayers.  I  succeeded  a  great  deal  better  than  I  expected, 
and  have  only  once  since,  for  the  last  ten  years  "  (this  was 
written  in  1884),  "preached  a  written  sermon.  My  plan 
has  ever  since  been  to  make  rather  copious  notes." 

Soon  after  he  commenced  extempore  preaching  he 
was  warned  by  the  following  painful  occurrence,  that  to 
preach  without  a  manuscript  entails  not  less  prepara- 
tion, but  more.  He  was  paying  a  visit  to  his  father  at 
Hurst,  and  was,  of  course,  asked  to  occupy  the  pulpit  of 
St.  George's.  He  was  very  nervous,  and,  moreover,  was 
not  well,  but,  from  one  cause  or  another,  that  sermon 
never  got  beyond  the  text.  The  young  preacher — on 
this  occasion  a  "stickit  minister"  indeed — had  just  suf- 
ficient presence  of  mind  to  dismiss  the  astonished  and 
sympathetic  congregation  with  a  hymn. 

His  friends  justly  attributed  the  above  incident  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  thoroughly  run  down  in  health  ;  and, 
indeed,  he  was,  by  the  doctor's  orders,  confined  to  his 
bed  for  nearly  a  week.  He  would  not,  however,  let  him- 
self off  so  easily.  He  wrote  to  his  friend  :  "  Alas  !  my 
spiritual  father,  what  a  sickly  son  you  have  I — a  Mr. 
Idlebones,  Ease-in-the-flesh;  a  Mr.  Chat-and-do-nothing 
— a  carnal  professor." 

Similar  misadventures  have  been  chronicled  of  orreat 


io8  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

men,  from  Massillon  to  David  Livingstone  ;  and  if  this 
accident  were  indeed  the  result  of  vain  confidence  and 
want  of  faith,  he  soon  experienced  the  blessed  truth  em- 
balmed in  the  exquisite  line  of  that  old  Latin  hymn — 

"  Mergere  nos  patitur,  seel  non  submergere  Christus."* 

A  fortnight  later  he  preached  again  in  St.  George's, 
and  this  time  with  considerable  power.  His  father,  who 
now  heard  him  for  the  first  time,  was  deeply  moved  ;  so 
he  was  encouraged  to  persevere. 

In  February  he  was  back  once  more  in  Devonshire, 
and  had  his  first  experience  of  a  "Parochial  Mission." 
This  was  conducted  at  Parracombe  by  Mr.  John  Wood 
and  the  Vicar,  Mr.  Leakey,  with  whom  he  formed  a 
friendship  which  lasted  until  the  end  of  his  life.  Han- 
nington writes,  "  I  went  over  there,  and  was  delighted." 
The  next  Sunday,  in  spite  of  a  terrific  storm,  and  heavy 
snow-drifts  which  almost  beat  him  back,  he  made  his 
way  again  to  Parracombe,  and  preached  to  the  anxious 
from  Rom.  v.  i.  He  was  now  able  to  speak  as  one  who 
had  himself  found  "  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  The  text  was  an  epitome  of  his  own  re- 
cent experience.  We  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  his 
sermon  was  blessed,  and  made  useful  to  several  people. 

This  Mission  gave  him  considerable  impetus.  He  be- 
gan to  feel  that  the  Great  King  might  have  some  definite 
work  for  him  too  among  His  servants.  That  to  him  also 
had  been  committed  a  talent. 

That  wild,  harum-scarum  Exmoor  pony  of  his,  which 
was  always  falling,  or  otherwise  putting  his  life  in  dan- 
ger, but  which  he  kept  "  because  it  was  so  game  "  and 
"  would  go  down  a  cliff  almost  like  the  side  of  a  house  " 


*  Christ  suffers  to  sink,  maybe,  but  not  to  drown. 


^t.  27.]  Boundless  Energy.  109 

without  flinching,  carried  him  in  every  direction  from 
cottage  to  cottage  and  farm  to  farm.  And  he  no  longer 
went  among  the  people  without  a  message.  The  Word 
of  Life  was  now,  of  all  subjects,  the  nearest  to  his  lips. 
An  old  man  known  as  "Carpenter  Richards"  died. 
There  were  not  many  deaths  in  Martinhoe.  Old  Rich- 
ards had  been,  in  his  youth,  in  prison  for  smuggling. 
The  last  words  he  uttered  were,  "  I  love  Mr.  Hanning- 
ton."  "  Oh,"  writes  Hannington  in  his  private  diary, 
*'  that  it  had  only  been,  '  I  love  the  Lord  Jesus  ! '  " 
Opposite  April  26th  I  find  this  entry  : 

"  Sent  for,  instead  of  the  doctor,  to  see  a  man  "  (here 
he  mentions  symptoms),  "a  hopeless  case.  I  pointed 
him  to  the  Saviour.  My  name  down  here  as  a  medical 
man  is  quite  established.  I  am  sent  for  in  almost  every 
case  ;  which  gives  me  the  opportunity  to  speak  to  them 
about  their  souls." 

"  May  gth,  Sunday. — Rode  about  four  miles  to  leave 
some  medicine.  Then  preached  at  Parracombe.  Rode 
to  Walner.  Saw  man  with  inflammation.  Found  him 
already  dying.  He  followed  me  in  prayer,  and  said 
some  nice  things.  Preached  at  Trentishoe.  Returned  to 
Walner.  Found  patient  unconscious.  Evening,  preached 
and  held  a  mission  service  in  my  own  rooms,  during 
which  time,  the  man,  I  hear,  died."  He  thus  rode  some 
twenty  miles  that  day. 

"May  i2,th. — Man  came  running  to  me  to  come  at 
once.  A  child  drov^^ned.  I  ran  straight  off  at  my  top 
speed,  and  found  that  the  child  had  fallen  into  a  tank 
only  seventeen  inches  deep,  but  life  was  quite  extinct." 

"May  i^th. — Sat  on  inquest  as  foreman  of  the  jury, 
and  received  a  shilling  for  my  pains  !  " 

"  20th. — Administered  enema  to  a  patient.     Preached 


no  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

to  the  Club  at  Lynton.  Dined  with  them  and  returned 
thanks  for  Bishop  and  clergy.  Returned  home  with  the 
doctor  and  assisted  him  to  make  a  post-mortem  on  the 
child  of  the  man  who  cursed  me."  This  latter  was  an 
ill-conditioned  coastguard,  who  had,  I  imagine,  taken 
offence  at  Hannington's  new  views. 

From  the  above  extracts — and  they  are  only  samples 
of  many  such — it  will  be  seen  that,  although  the  souls 
over  whom  he  was  placed  in  charge  did  not  much 
exceed  three  hundred,  Hannington  was  not  idle.  Though 
the  people  were  few,  the  distances  which  had  to  be  trav- 
ersed, and  the  roughness  of  the  moorland  roads  and 
bridle-paths,  made  the  work  of  such  thorough  super- 
vision as  he  gave  them  far  from  easy. 

There  are  men  who  work  well  under  a  pressing  sense 
of  obligation  to  duty;  but  it  is  against  the  grain.  If 
their  consciences  would  let  them,  they  would  infinitely 
prefer  to  "stand  at  ease."  Such  men  sink  into  the 
easiest  available  chairs  with  a  sigh  of  relief  when  their 
annual  holiday  sets  them  free.  To  them  relaxation 
means  cessation  from  work. 

There  are  others  to  whom  work  is  a  necessity.  They 
work  at  their  profession  with  all  their  might,  and  they 
work  at  their  play  with  all  their  might.  Hannington 
was  one  of  this  sort.  He  was  one  of  those  Englishmen 
whose  amusements  so  sorely  puzzle  our  Continental 
neighbors. 

When  June  of  this  year  came  round,  and  he  thought 
himself  entitled  to  a  holiday,  he  cast  about  for  pastures 
new.  He  had  often  looked  wistfully  seaward,  where 
the  cliffs  of  Lundy  Island  rose  in  a  purple  line  against 
the  flame  of  golden  sunsets.  Out  on  the  extreme  limit 
of  the  western  horizon,  Lundy  seems  a  foothold  from 


JEt.  27.] 


Visi^  to  Liindy  Island. 


Ill 


which  the  happy  traveller  might  gaze  out  upon  a  new 
and  more  glorious  world,  from  which  he  might  take  his 
flio-ht  "  Far  away,  on  from  island  unto  island  at  the 
gateways  of  the  day."  The  very  "land  of  far  dis- 
tances." Such  to  the  poetic  mind.  To  the  naturalist 
it  offers  a  field  of  great  interest.  Rare  plants  await  the 
botanist.    There  are  ''  beetles  "  (under  which  term  Han- 


ii) 


.11' 

3bHioi«<t  IMVX^  Vinv  Ittu  trte 


nington  classed  the  whole  insect  family)  to  reward  the 
entomologist.  The  sea-shore  teems  with  life,  the  sea 
with  fish;  the  cliffs  are  the  haunts  of  myriads  of  sea- 
birds,  which  deposit  their  eggs  upon  the  ledges.  There 
are  caves  to  be  explored,  bathing  and  climbing  ad  lib- 
ittim.     What  more  can  a  reasonable  man  desire  ? 

Having  persuaded  a  College  friend,  T.  May,  to  join 
him,   Hanningtoa   sailed   from   Instow,  and  received  a 


112 


James  Hannington. 


[A.D.  1875. 


hearty  welcome  at  the  farm  on  Lundy  Island  from  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dovell.  There  they  had  what  the  Americans 
call  a  "  good  time."  They  wore  their  oldest  clothes, 
fished,  egged,  botanized,  and  explored  to  their  heart's 
content.  The  humorous  sketches,  which  are  reproduced 
in  exact  fac-simile  from  a  book  of  rhymes  which  Han- 
nington wrote  for  his  little  nephews  and  nieces,  describe 

some  of  the 
adventures 
of  these 
two.  They 
had  arriv- 
ed in  the 
height  of 
the  egging 
season.  The 
birds  lay 
their  pear- 
shaped 
eggs  upon 
the  narrow 
ledges  of 
the  most  in- 
accessible 
cliffs.  To 
reach  these 

the  egg-hunter  arms  himself  with  an  instrument  called 
an  egg-spoon,  like  a  tiny  landing  net,  at  the  end  of  a 
long,  light  rod.  He  is  then  lowered  over  the  edge,  and 
fills  his  wallet  with  as  many  eggs  as  he  can  reach.  Han- 
nington, partly  for  the  sake  of  the  adventure,  and  partly 
to  add  some  cormorant's  eggs  to  his  collection,  persuad- 
ed Mr.  Dovell  and  his  friend  "  Cluppins "  to  let  him 
down  from  the  edge  of  a  tremendous  precipice.     They 


^t.  27.] 


Exploring  a  Cave. 


113 


were  more  nervous  than  he,  and  got  well  laughed  at 
by  the  enthusiastic  eggsman  as  he  scrambled  up  again 
with  the  contents  of  three  nests  in  his  pockets.  Whether 
or  not  he  really  played  them  the  trick  which  he  has  so 
spiritedly  depicted  in  the  series  of  sketches,  I  do  net 
know. 

The  next  day  these  two 
big  boys  determined  to  ex- 
plore the  recesses  of  a  dark 
cave  muph  frequented  by 
seals.  They  had  to  take  off 
their  clothes  and  swim  into 
the  entrance.  They  found 
themselves  standing  at  the 
mouth  of  a  deep  cleft,  which 
wound  its  way  for  some  dis- 
tance into  the  darkness.  On 
stooping  down  to  examine 
the  sand,  they  saw  distinctly 
many  recent  tracks  of  seals. 
As  the  passage  is  very  nar- 
row and  of  utter  darkness, 
and  the  danger  of  meeting 
an  alarmed  and  frantic  seal, 
in  a  place  where  neither  -^ 
could  pass  the  other,  would 
not  be  small,  his  friend  very 
wisely  counselled  retreat.     But  there  was  never  any  go 


ing  back  for  those  who  followed  Hannington,  unless  in- 
deed they  deserted  him  and  went  back  alone.  This,  of 
course,  his  friend  had  no  thought  of  doing,  and  so  the 
two  wormed  their  way  inward  till  they  reached  a  large 
chamber  called  the  Seals'  Kitchen.  Every  moment  they 
expected  a  charge  of  sea-monsters,  but  when  they  arrived 


114 


James  Hannington. 


[A.D.  1875. 


at  the  end  of  their  journey  they  found  that  the  seals, 
which  had  taken  refuge  there  at  high  tide,  had  made 
their  way  out  again  just  before  their  own  intrusion. 

As  their  clothes  were  off,  and  there  are  no  summer 
visitors  to  be  scandalized  on  Lundy  Island,  they  next 
amused  themselves  by  swimming  to  various  places  at 
the  foot  of  the  sheer  cliffs,  and  climbing  up,  amid 
screaming,  circling  seagulls,  to  the  ledges  where  the 
shags  had  laid  their  odd-shaped  eggs. 

The  next  sketch  represents  a  harmless  little  joke  of 
which  his  hostess  was  the  victim.  An  emu's  egg  had 
been  given  to  Hannington,  about  which  he  tells  the 
childien  : 

"While  I  was  busy  blowing  eggs, 
And  this  was  by  my  side, 
A  lady  coming  at  the  time 

At  once  this  big  &^g  spied. 
'  O  pray,  declare,  what  have  you  there  ? 

Where  did  you  get  that  &gg  ? 
I  must  get  one,  let  what  will  come; 
Please  tell  me  how,  I  beg.' 


'A  secret  that ;  I  may  not  tell,' 

To  her  I  straight  replied. 
Then  having  put  the  ^^g  away 

Soon  out  again  I  hied. 
My  back  was  turned  scarce  half  an  hour: 
She  to  the  cupboard  goes, 


^t.  27.] 


An  Emus  Egg. 


"5 


And  to  the  eggers  of  this  isle 

The  emu's  e.gg  she  shows. 
'  The  strangers  took  it  on  the  cliffs. 

And,  look  you,  I  will  pay 
A  goodly  sum  to  any  one 

Who  brings  the  like  to-day.' 
The  eggers  one  and  all  left  work ; 

Off  with  their  spoons  they  run. 
The  master  comes.     Asks  in  a  rage, 

*  What's  of  those  wretches  come  ? 
Unwilling  strangers  should  them  beat. 

They  hunted  high  and  low 
In  every  single  breakneck  place 

Where  mortal  man  could  go. 


But  emus  are  not  wont  to  lay 

On  fair  Britannia's  isle ; 
And  least  of  all  on  Lundy's  cliffs. 

It  really  made  us  smile 
To  hear  next  day  the  fearful  tramp 

Those  weary  eggers  had. 
Returning  tattered,  pale,  and  thin. 

And  faces  very  sad," 


Another  sketch  which  is  full  of  delicate  fun  represents 
himself,  "  Cluppins,"  and  a  boatman,  fishing.  The  con- 
ger eel  just  hauled  into  the  boat  is  supposed  to  be  assert- 
ing his  individuality  after  the  manner  of  congers. 


ii6 


Jatnes  Hannington. 


[A.D.  1875. 


"  'Tis  my  delight  on  a  shiny  night 

For  conger  eels  to  fish.; 
Nor  takes  it  long,  if  they  bite  strong, 

To  catch  a  splendid  dish. 
But  as  you  haul  them  in  your  yawl, 

Look  out  and  mind  your  leg, 
They'll  bite  your  calves  right  clean  in  halves. 

Though  you  may  mercy  beg." 


Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  artistic  merit  of 
these  drawings  of  his — and  it  must  be  remembered  that 
he  never  practiced  drav/ing,  nor,  indeed,  handled  a  pen- 
cil to  any  purpose  until  he  was  about  twenty-five  years 
of  age — it  must  be  acknowledged  that  they  are  full  of 
life  and  movement.  They  tell  their  own  story.  What 
they  lack  in  correctness  they  make  up  in  vigor  and  a 
certain  incisive  humor  which  gives  them  a  distinct  value 
of  their  own.  This  must  be  my  excuse  for  publishing 
them  ;  as  for  their  author,  he  intended  these,  and  innu- 
merable others  of  the  same  kind,  only  for  the  eyes  of 
the  children  at  home — his  little  nephews  and  nieces — 
for  whose  amusement  he  wrote  his  rhymes  and  illustrated 
them.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  turning  his  adventures 
into  easy-flowing,  doggerel  verse  for  the  children.  His 
rhymes,  if  collected,  would  form  quite  a  volume.  They 
are  prefaced  thus  : 

"  Nephews  and  nieces,  come  this  way. 
And  hear  what  Uncle  has  to  say. 


JEt.27.]  Happy  at  Martinhoe.  117 

Oh  !  such  a  funny  man  is  he 
As  ever  you  may  wish  to  see. 
Johnnie,  Katie,  Toosie,  run 
To  see  your  Uncle's  book  of  fun. 
And,  as  it's  such  a  jolly  day, 
Let's  ask  for  a  halt-holiday." 

At  about  this  time  Mr.  Hannington  definitely  pro- 
posed to  his  son  that  he  should  return  to  Hurstpierpoint 
and  take  charge  of  the  Chapel  of  St.  George.  This  did 
not  at  the  time  commend  itself  to  the  mind  of  James. 
He  was  now  quite  happy  at  Martinhoe.  The  people 
loved  and  trusted  him.  His  work  was  beginning  to  tell. 
The  report  of  his  preaching,  and  the  earnestness  and 
power  of  it,  had  gone  abroad.  Crowds  would  throng 
the  little  churches,  sometimes  overflowing  into  porch  and 
churchyard,  when  he  was  expected.  He  loved  his  work 
too,  and  the  people,  and  the  rough  rides  over  stormy 
moors,  and  the  wild  sea-cliffs  and  the  sounding  sea. 
The  unconventionality  of  that  life  thoroughly  suited  his 
temperament. 

He  felt,  moreover,  that,  by  accepting  the  charge  of 
St.  George's  he  would  be  placing  himself  in  a  position 
of  peculiar  difficulty.  The  people  at  Hurst  had  known 
him  since  he  was  a  child  ;  how  could  he  hope  to  escape 
the  proverbial  fate  of  the  unhonored  prophet  ? 

Would  he,  moreover,  prove  as  acceptable  to  the  more 
cultured  denizens  of  the  neighborhood  of  Brighton  as 
he  was  to  the  untutored  Devonians  ? 

With  characteristic  thoroughness  he  examined  his 
own  heart  on  the  subject,  and  strove  to  weigh  the  pros 
and  cons  with  an  impartial  hand.  Perhaps  the  fact  that 
told  most  strongly  for  the  acceptance  of  St.  George's 
was  his  reluctance  to  leave  Martinhoe.  He  ever  dis- 
trusted  his   ov/n   flesh,   and   thought  that,  in   doubtful 


Ii8  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

cases,  it  was  a  good  and  safe  rule  to  run  counter  to  its 
special  pleading. 

He  had  consulted  me  in  the  matter,  and  even  made 
the  proposal  that  I  should  myself  take  St.  George's. 
This  I  was  unable  to  do.  He,  therefore,  concluded  to 
leave  himself  entirely  in  the  Hand  of  God,  and  to  look 
upon  the  consent  or  refusal  of  the  two  Bishops  of  Ex- 
eter and  Chichester  as  a  sign  whether  or  not  he  were  to 
take  the  step.  It  seemed  quite  possible  that  neither  of 
the  Bishops  would  have  wished  him  to  undertake  a  new 
charge  until  he  had  received  his  Priest's  Orders.  Thus  the 
matter  rested  for  a  while.  I  find  the  following  prayer 
upon  a  loose  sheet  of  paper,  upon  which  are  written  sev- 
eral arguments  on  both  sides  of  the  question  : 

"Dear  Lord,  tnercifully  reveal  Thy  Will  in  this  matter. 
Be  Thou  ever  7ny  Guardia/t  and  Guide." 

So  childlike  was  his  spirit,  and  so  simple  his  trust ! 

As  time  went  by,  the  answer  to  his  prayer  came  in  the 
gradual  removal,  one  by  one,  of  all  the  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  his  transfer.  When  both  the  Bishops  signified 
their  assent,  he  felt  that  the  matter  had  been  taken  out 
of  his  own  hands.  The  next  thing  was  to  prepare  him- 
self for  his  new  sphere  of  work.  St.  George's,  though  a 
curac)%  is  virtually  a  sole  charge.  He  would  be  thrown 
entirely  upon  his  own  resources.  He  decided  at  once  to 
leave  Martinhoe,  and  to  spend  some  time  with  an  expe- 
rienced clergyman,  from  whom  he  could  learn  some- 
thing of  the  varied  work  and  organization  of  a  well- 
ordered  parish. 

The  Parish  of  Darley  Abbey,  a  suburb  of  Derby, 
seemed  to  offer  precisely  what  he  required.  The  popu- 
lation consists  of  about  a  thousand  persons,  the  families 
of  workers  in  two  factories — a  paper  and  a  cotton  mill. 


yEt.  27.]  Darley  Abbey.  119 

The  parish  was  a  model  of  perfect  organization.  The 
Incumbent  at  that  time  was  the  Rev.  J.  Dawson,  who, 
by  the  combination  of  powerful  and  attractive  preaching 
with  close  and  frequent  house-to-house  visitation,  had 
filled,  not  only  the  Church,  but  also  his  class-rooms, 
with  large  and  eager  audiences.  His  week-night  Bible- 
Classes  had  enrolled  out  of  the  small  population  the 
unusual  number  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  women  and 
between  seventy  and  eighty  men,  all  regular  attendants. 
His  wife  also  conducted  a  Sunday  afternoon  Bible-Class 
for  factory  girls,  at  which  about  sixty  were  usually 
present. 

The  efforts  of  the  Vicar  were  backed  up  in  the  heart- 
iest manner  by  the  Evans  family,  the  proprietors  of  the 
mills.  By  them  the  social  and  temporal  affairs  of  the 
parish  were  managed  with  a  patriarchal  hand.  Every 
house  belonged  to  them,  and  was  held  by  its  tenant 
upon  condition  of  conformity  to  certain  rules.  Among 
these  rules  was  the  singular  one  that  every  young  man 
and  woman  should  attend  the  Sunday-school  until  the 
age  of  eighteen.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  such  com- 
pulsion theoretically,  in  practice  it  worked  very  well. 
The  numbers  who  voluntarily  attended  the  Bible-Classes, 
Prayer-Meetings,  and  extra  Services  of  the  Church  con- 
clusively proved  that  the  people  were  not  offended  at 
the  rule,  and  did  not  resent  it.  There  was  no  public- 
house  in  the  village,  and  all  provisions  were  supplied 
from  one  central  store,  of  the  best  quality,  and  at  "  Civil 
Service  "  prices. 

This  parish,  then,  seemed  to  offer  a  good  illustration 
of  the  manner  in  which  intelligent  working-people  might 
be  successfully  dealt  with,  Hannington  resolved  to 
abide  there  for  a  while,  and  study  the  system  thoroughly. 

It  was  with  a  heavy  heart  that  he  went  the  round  of 


120  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

his  old  haunts  and  said  good-bye  to  his  friends.  The 
dear  old  cliffs,  upon  which  he  had  had  many  a  perilous 
scramble.  The  sea-washed  caves,  down  to  which  wound 
his  famous  path.  The  wide  moorland,  over  which  he 
and  his  pony  had  so  often  galloped.  All  these  seemed 
doubly  dear  now,  when  he  was  about  to  leave  them,  and 
seek  the  grimy  fields  which  lie  beneath  the  smoke  cloud 
of  ever-vomiting  factory  chimneys.  The  people,  too,  his 
beloved  patients — his  warm-hearted  Devonshire  friends, 
with  their  quaint  ways — had  never  seemed  so  friendly 
or  so  desirable  as  now,  when  he  was  to  be  separated 
from  them.  One  of  his  humble  friends,  who  possessed 
the  power  of  "  blessing,"  seized  the  opportunity  while 
holding  his  hand  at  parting,  and,  before  Hannington 
knew  what  she  was  doing,  "  said  words  "  over  his  finger, 
which  had  been  dangerously  stung  by  some  poisonous 
fly.     He  was  incredulous,  but  none  the  less  grateful. 

So,  on  August  17,  1875,  he  left  North  Devon  some- 
what sadly.  The  hearty  welcome,  however,  which  greet 
ed  him  at  the  Parsonage  of  Darley  Abbey,  where  his 
name  was  already  well  known,  did  much  to  cheer  him. 
He  soon  took  his  place  as  one  of  themselves  in  the  fam- 
ily circle,  and  became,  as  usual,  a  prime  favorite. 

Dear  old  Miss  Evans  was  then  alive.  Can  any  one 
who  ever  knew  her  mention  her  name  without  some 
epithet  of  affection  ?  That  massive  red-brick  mansion, 
which  stood  within  its  own  park-like  grounds  somewhat 
apart  from  the  village,  was,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
the  palace  of  the  little  kingdom  of  Darley  Abbey.  There 
Miss  Evans  ruled  supreme.  She  was  then  in  her  eighty- 
ninth  3^ear  ;  in  full  possession  of  all  her  faculties  ;  the 
mistress  of  her  household, — of  their  hearts  and  minds, 
as  well  as  of  their  bodies.  She  came  of  a  long-lived 
family.    Her  brother,  the  senior  partner  of  the  firm,  had 


/Et.  27.]  Miss  Evans.  1 2 1 

lately  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven,  and  her  sister, 
with  whom  she  had  lived  at  Darley  House  since  their 
babyhood,  had,  though  paralyzed  during  the  greater 
part  of  her  life,  only  recently  been  removed  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four.  She  herself  lived  to  see  her  ninety-sixth 
year.  She  seemed  to  rise  superior  to  the  course  of 
Time.  Her  small,  erect,  figure  would  go  hither  and 
thither  with  the  precision  and  punctuality  of  a  clock. 
Her  bright  and  sunny  face,  with  its  never-failing  smile, 
was  to  be  seen  wherever  she  was  needed.  And  where 
was  it  that  she  was  not  required  ?  She  was  the  very  life 
and  centre  of  the  village  and  all  its  work.  In  any  family 
difficulty,  in  any  dispute,  in  any  case  in  which  an  arbiter 
was  required,  it  was  to  '*  Miss  Ivvins  "  that  the  people 
always  went.  She  had  spent  her  long  life  among  them 
and  for  them,  and  she  thoroughly  understood  both  them 
and  their  ways.  But  she  must  be  obeyed.  Her  large 
household  of  devoted  domestics — several  of  whom  were 
almost  as  old  as  herself,  and  had  remained  with  her  ever 
since,  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago,  as  an  active,  bright- 
eyed  girl  she  had  taken  up  the  reins  of  government — 
knew  this.  The  villagers  all  knew  this.  Sometimes  a 
new-comer,  mistaking  the  gentle  demeanor  of  the  little 
woman,  and  the  kindly  look  of  interest  in  her  eyes, 
would  think  to  presume.  But  he  seldom  transgressed 
far.  He  was  soon  made  to  feel  that  those  mittened 
hands,  with  their  tender  touch,  concealed  a  grip  of  steel. 
In  her  younger  days  it  may  have  been  that  she  used  her 
power  somewhat  unsparingly.  It  is  not  always  easy  for 
strong  common-sense  and  a  commanding  mind  to  make 
allowance  for  the  weakness  of  others.  But  now,  in  her 
extreme  age,  softened,  chastened,  beautiful  in  her  brisk 
helpfulness,  self-respecting  and  respected,  she  presented 
a  perfect  picture  of  sweet  and  honorable  womanhood. 
6 


122  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

The  income  of  her  large  fortune  was  spent  in  doing 
good.  No  one  will  know  until  the  Great  Day  of  the 
Revelation  of  all  things  how  many  homes  were  made 
happy  by  her,  how  many  were  saved  from  ruin  by  her 
prompt  interference,  how  many  were  assisted  to  make  a 
start  in  life.  Truly  there  are  not  a  few  who  will  rise 
and  call  her  blessed. 

Miss  Evans  was  quick  to  discern  the  merits  of  James 
Hannington.  He  was  always  a  welcome  guest  at  Darley 
House.  He,  on  his  part,  was  charmed  with  Miss  Evans, 
and  enjoyed  above  all  things  to  draw  out  her  rich  store 
of  Christian  experience. 

On  one  occasion,  when  we  called  together,  we  found 
several  elderly  ladies,  friends  of  Miss  Evans,  gather- 
ed round  the  fire.  Their  conversation  upon  some 
point  of  spiritual  interest  quite  engrossed  us,  and  we 
sta3'^ed  a  considerable  time.  As  we  at  length  left  the 
house,  Hannington  turned  to  me  with  a  quaint  look, 
and  said  : 

"  Do  you  know,  old  fellow,  I  think  that  I  must  really 
be  a  Christian  ?  " 

"  I  hope  so,"  I  said.  "  But  what  makes  you  think  so 
just  now  especially  ?" 

"  Well,"  he  replied,  with  a  smile,  "what  an  unutter- 
able bore  I  should  have  thought  those  people  and  their 
talk  on  such  a  subject  a  short  time  ago.  But,  do  you 
know  ?  I  positively  enjoyed  it." 

Hannington  had  his  first  experience  of  a  genuine  paro- 
chial tea-party  soon  after  his  arrival.  It  is  the  custom 
at  Darley  Abbey  to  issue  a  general  invitation  to  the  peo- 
ple on  the  day  of  the  Derby  races  to  what  is  called  "  the 
Race  Tea."  On  this  occasion  over  six  hundred  sat  down. 
After  tea  addresses  were  given,  among  which  Hanning- 
ton noted  with  interest  a  description  which   the    Rev. 


JEt.  28.]       Instituted  Ciirate  of  St.  George's.  123 

J.  E.  Linnell,  himself  once  a  workman,  gave  to  the  work- 
ing-people of  his  own  eventful  life. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  September  Hannington  was 
instituted  as  Curate  of  St.  George's,  but  he  resolved  to 
gain  more  experience  of  pastoral  work  before  commenc- 
ing his  labors  there,  so,  leaving  the  chapel  in  charge  of 
the  Rev.  F.  H.  S.  Pendleton,  he  returned  to  Darley  in 
time  to  take  part  in  a  Mission  which  was  to  be  conduct- 
ed by  the  Rev.  C.  Melville  Pym. 

Into  the  work  of  this  Mission  he  threw  himself  heartily. 
He  says  :  "  I  gave  the  opening  address.  Mr.  Bemrose, 
the  publisher,  followed.  I  was  thin,  but  he  was  splen- 
did." Every  day  he  gave  some  address — rough  and 
ready,  but  forcible  and  to  the  point, — visited  energet- 
ically from  house  to  house,  and  assisted  at  the  after- 
meetings.  On  one  occasion  he  seized  hold  of  a  notorious 
drunkard,  and  would  not  let  him  go  until  he  had  made  a 
definite  promise  to  come  to  that  evening's  Service.  That 
Mission  produced  a  great  effect  upon  the  people  of  Dar- 
ley, and  consolidated  the  Christians  there  into  a  united 
working  body.  Hannington  was  soon  himself  to  con- 
duct many  such  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 

He  also  saw  and  took  part  in  the  remarkable  work 
which  is  carried  on  by  the  railway  men  at  the  Derby 
Station.  He  says:  "  I  v/ent  to  the  Midland  Railway  break- 
fast-room, where  about  a  hundred  men  meet  and  listen 
to  an  address  from  some  specially-invited  preacher  every 
morning  while  they  consume  their  breakfasts.  A  short 
time  ago  the  Bishop  of  London  spoke  to  them.  This 
gathering  originated  in  a  half-witted  man  who  used  to 
read  his  Bible  at  meal-time,  and  was  badly  treated,  in 
consequence,  by  the  other  men.  He  went  apart  into  a 
corner  by  himself,  and  was  presently  joined  by  another. 
They  both  of  them   got  so  persecuted  that  somebody 


124  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

spoke  to  the  officials,  and  they  gave  them  a  small  shed. 
This  has  now  grown  into  the  present  meeting  of  about 
a  hundred  strong.  I  came  in  and  asked  if  I  might  be  a 
listener.  The  foreman  said,  '  We  have  been  disappoint- 
ed in  our  man  ;  will  you  speak  to  us  ? '  I  had  not  come 
prepared,  but  the  Lord  helped  me  ;  and  they  immedi- 
ately begged  me  to  come  again." 

During  the  short  time  that  he  spent  at  Darley,  Han- 
nington quite  won  the  hearts  of  the  people.  His  frank 
and  open  manner  took  them  by  storm  ;  his  eccentricities 
only  endeared  him  the  more  to  them.  As  a  mill-worker 
was  heard  to  say  :  "  We  all  like  Mr.  Hannington,  and 
no  mistake  ;  he  is  so  free  like  ;  he  just  comes  into  your 
house,  and  sticks  his  hands  down  into  the  bottom  of  his 
pockets,  and  talks  to  you  like  a  man." 

He  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  family  party  at  the 
Vicarage.  His  queer  sayings  and  his  oddities  are  still 
remembered  by  the  members  of  that  circle,  especially  by 
the  Vicar,  who  thoroughly  entered  into  and  enjoyed  his 
humor. 

"  I  know  that  I  am  sometimes  a  little  different  from 
other  people,"  Hannington  would  say,  penitently,  yet 
with  a  sly  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"A  little  different  !  "  the  Vicar  would  reply,  shaking 
with  laughter.  "  Why,  I  never  saw  anybody  in  all  my 
life  at  all  like  you." 

Or,  as  putting  on  a  quizzical  air,  standing  astride 
upon  the  hearth-rug,  he  brought  to  light  some  imaginary 
discovery  which  he  had  made  with  regard  to  some  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  and  then  proceeded  with  infinite  glee 
to  work  up  the  most  ridiculous  superstructure  upon  this 
mock  foundation,  the  Vicar,  who  had  been  enjoying  the 
whole  thing  with  suppressed  delight  struggling  on  every 
feature,  would  burst  forth  from  the  depths  of  his  arm- 


^t.  28.]  His  Eccentricity.  125 

chair  with  a  sounding  peal,  and  a  "James,  you  are  per- 
fectly incorrigible  ;  you  are  not  content  until  you  have 
probed  out  the  tender  part  of  everybody,  and  then  you 
just  go  on  dig,  dig,  digging  away  relentlessly  at  that  spot 
till  you  become  unbearable.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourself  !  "  All  this  with  the  keenest  appreciation  of 
his  odd  pupil. 

Well,  has  not  one  of  our  greatest  modern  thinkers 
said:  "  Eccentricity  has  always  abounded  where  strength 
of  character  has  abounded.  That  so  few  dare  to  be  ec- 
centric marks  the  chief  danger  of  the  time  !  " 

And  if  he  did  sometimes  carry  his  humor  to  the  verge 
of  irritation,  or  persist  in  working  out  his  vein  of  vexa- 
tiousness  to  the  annoyance  of  the  over-sensitive,  he  was 
soon  forgiven.  It  was  impossible  to  take  offence,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  he  never  meant  to  offend. 

And  Hannington  could  be  very  gentle  and  courteous 
when  he  chose  to  be  so.  With  the  aged,  or  the  weak, 
or  with  those  in  need  of  comfort,  help,  or  consolation, 
he  was  ever  the  gentlest,  kindest,  and  most  considerate 
of  friends.  In  the  presence  of  such  he  was  another  man. 
None  who  ever  sought  his  advice  in  trouble,  or  by  whose 
bedside  he  has  sat  in  their  sickness,  will  readily  forget 
the  tender  helpfulness  of  his  quiet  manner,  and  the  true 
ring  of  sympathy  in  his  voice. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ST,  George's,  hurstpierpoint. 

(i875-) 

"  Sir,  the  life  of  a  Parson,  of  a  conscientious  clerygman,  is  not 
easy.  I  have  always  considered  a  clergyman  as  the  father  of  a 
larger  family  than  he  is  able  to  maintain."  JOHNSON. 

"And  evermore  beside  him  on  his  way 
The  unseen  Christ  shall  move  ; 
That  he  may  lean  upon  His  arm  and  say, 
'Dost  Thou,  dear  Lord,  approve?  '" 

Wordsworth. 

On  the  third  of  November,  1875,  Hannington  w^as 
again  in  Oxford,  to  receive  his  M.A.  degree.  He  found 
at  St.  Mary  Hall,  alone  of  his  former  companions,  the 
Rev.  David  Johnston,  Minister  of  the  Church  of  Scotland 
in  the  Orkneys,  a  Biblical  Student,  and  holder  of  the 
Kenicott  Hebrew  Scholarship,  the  tenure  of  which  re- 
quired him  to  reside  in  Oxford  during  the  Michaelmas 
Term  of  that  year.  The  following  entry  refers  to  this 
meeting  : 

"Had  a  long  and  profitable  converse  with  David  John- 
ston ;  he  told  me  that  he  never  had  had  any  hope  of  my 
conversion,  I  seemed  so  utterly  given  over  to  the  Vvforld." 

Mr.  Johnston  was  not  the  only  one  of  his  former  ac- 
quaintances who  were  unaware  of  the  change  which  had 
passed  over  his  life,  and  the  tenor  of  it. 

On  one  occasion,  shortly  before  the  correspondence 
which  has  been  given  in  Chapter  VH.,  one  of  Hanning- 
ton's  college  friends  was  spending  the  month  of  Septem- 
(126) 


*i 

w 

•'•       1^^ 

iH^' 

;^.,  v^ 

m 

^^1 

JEt.  28.]  "  T/ie  Great  Change''  127 

ber  at  the  country  house  of  an  old  St.  Mary  Hall  man. 
"  The  great  change  "  had  but  lately  passed  over  himself. 
He  could  not  have  hidden  it  if  he  would.  A  new  lan- 
guage and  words  to  which  his  companion  was  unaccus- 
tomed cropped  up  as  the  two  trod  the  stubbles,  or  waded 
knee  deep  through  the  turnip-fields,  carr3ang  destruc- 
tion among  the  partridges.  An  indefinable  aroma  of  a 
new  life  permeated  even  their  conversation  over  the 
pipes  at  night.  But  when,  finally,  he  confessed  that  he 
had  heard  the  call  of  Christ,  and  was  resolved  to  follow 
Him,  his  companion  lost  no  time,  but  wrote  off  at  once 
to    Hannington    for   advice.     Said  he :   "I   don't  know 

what  has  come  over .     He  is  dreadfully  changed  in 

his  views.  You  must  come  and  spend  a  few  days  with 
us  when  next  he  is  here,  and  we  will  soon  settle  him  be- 
tween us."  Alas  !  those  three  were  never  to  meet  on 
earth.  Had  they  done  so  within  two  years  of  that  let- 
ter, there  would,  indeed,  have  been  two  against  one, 
but  the  majority  would  not  have  been  upon  the  side 
espoused  by  Hannington's  perplexed  correspondent ! 
Over  Hannington,  too,  that  Change  had  passed. 

To  many  of  his  old  friends  it  seemed  like  a  miracle 
when  he  boldly  took  his  place  among  the  fighting  men 
in  the  vanguard  of  Christ's  Great  Army. 

On  the  seventh  of  November,  Hannington  preached 
his  introductory  sermon  in  St.  George's  Chapel.  We 
have  already  described  the  village  of  Hurstpierpoint. 
In  the  grounds  of  St.  George's  House,  on  the  highest 
part  of  them,  stands  the  chapel,  a  well-shaped  building, 
with  high-pitched  roof  ;  simple  in  construction,  but 
withal  appropriate  to  its  surroundings.  Within,  a  nave 
seated  for  some  three  hundred  persons,  comfortable  and 
commodius — benches  low  and  open.  Beyond,  a  simple 
chancel,  from   the   arch   of  which  hangs  a  light  brass 


r:?8  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

chandelier.  Throughout  the  building  a  subdued  light, 
falling  through  the  stained  glass  of  single,  pointed  win- 
dows. Chancel  door  perhaps  ajar,  letting  in  a  ray  of 
warm  sunlight,  and  revealing  glimpses  of  smooth  lawns 
and  flowers,  and  spaces  of  sky  and  far-reaching  view. 

At  the  end  of  every  pew  hangs  a  bracket,  which  can 
be  raised  at  will  to  accommodate  an  additional  sitter. 
And  these  brackets  were  seldom  out  of  use  during  Han- 
nington's  incumbency  of  the  chapel  ! 

Here  he  labored  during  the  next  seven  years  ;  almost 
unknown  to  the  world,  but  well  known  enough  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Hurst,  and  winning  the  affection  of 
his  people  in  a  manner  in  which  it  is  given  to  few  cler- 
gymen to  do. 

One  of  the  most  wholly  unconventional  souls  that 
ever  breathed,  some  of  his  sayings  and  doings  remind 
us  irresistibly  of  William  Grimshaw,  whose  eccentrici- 
ties were  known  and  beloved  anyvvhere  within  a  day's 
journey  of  Haworth. 

In  his  old,  faded  boating  coat — his  St.  Mary  Hall 
"blazer"  —  he  would  walk  briskly  down  the  village 
street.  All  the  children  knew  w^ell  enough  that  the 
pockets  of  that  coat  were  filled  with  goodies.  They 
looked  out  for  him  with  a  shy  expectancy.  One  day,  as 
he  walked  with  a  certain  dignified  ecclesiastic,  this  time 
attired  in  proper  clerical  uniform,  a  little  girl  stole  up 
timidly  behind,  and  pulled  his  coat  tails.  "  Please,  sir," 
said  she,  blushing,  "  haven't  you  got  a  bull's-eye  for 
me?" 

He  would  gather  the  children  about  him  and  give 
them  some  brief  and  fitting  instruction  with  regard  to 
their  conduct  toward  their  parents  and  each  other. 
Thus,  they  were  not  to  "  sneak,"  not  to  speak  untruths, 
etc,   etc.     When  he  next  encountered  them  they  were 


JEt.  28.]  ''Jemmy."  129 

cross-examined:  "Now,  then:  what  were  the  three 
things  you  were  not  to  do  ;  eh  ? "  When  the  answers 
were  correct,  the  rewarding  bull's-eye  was  never  want- 
ing. 

There  are  few  men  who  know  how  to  combine  perfect 
freedom  and  familiarity  of  manner  with  a  self-respect 
with  which  the  rudest  boor  will  not  venture  to  take  a 
liberty.  Hannington  had  learned  the  secret  of  this  com- 
bination in  a  very  wonderful  manner.  He  could  be  hail- 
fellow-well-met  with  rough  men  and  lads  with  enviable 
impunity.  The  workmen  of  Hurst  knew  him  among 
themselves  by  the  pet  name  of  "Jemmy."  He  was 
Hurstpierpoint's  Jemmy  ;  their  own  Jemmy.  But  there 
was  no  one  in  the  district  to  whom  the  men  raised  their 
caps  more  willingly,  or  to  whom  the  boys  looked  up  with 
more  unquestioning  admiration.  Chalmers  is  reported 
to  have  said  to  one  who  was  maintaining  that  the  clergy 
should  "  stand  upon  their  dignity,"  "  Sir  !  if  we  don't 
mind,  we  may  die  of  dignity."  Hannington  was  quite 
of  that  opinion.  He  sought  all  souls,  anyhow  and  any- 
where. If  he  could  not  win  them  in  a  dignified  manner, 
he  had  no  objection  to  appear  as  undignified  as  the  oc- 
casion seemed  to  demand. 

"  Oh,  the  value  of  one  soul  !  "  he  somewhere  writes  ; 
and  his  whole  life  from  this  time  bears  witness  to  the 
sincerity  of  his  estimate.  He  would  get  hold  of  the 
boys  and  attract  them  to  himself  by  his  kindly  interest 
in  their  pursuits — an  interest  by  which  they  could  not 
but  be  flattered;  he  would  gradually  wean  them  from 
evil  companions,  by  encouraging  them  to  cultivate  any 
taste  which  he  might  detect  in  them.  Boys  who  showed 
a  liking  for  curiosities  or  natural  history  were  invited  to 
his  house,  and  allowed  to  examine  his  own  large  and 
various  collections,  and  his  cabinets  of  classified  speci- 
6* 


130  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

mens.  All  this  with  a  good-natured  raillery  which  was 
very  effective  in  checking  any  disposition  to  conceit  on 
the  part  of  his  proteges.  His  quizzical  smile  kept 
everybody  at  his  own  proper  level.  No  boy  with  a  taste 
for  the  concertina,  or  for  scribbling  designs  upon  his 
slate,  or  for  rapid  summing,  was  suffered  to  delude  him- 
self into  the  idea  that  he  was  an  embryo  Mozart,  or 
Turner,  or  the  future  senior  wrangler  of  the  village. 
One  of  his  friends  *  reports  the  following  characteristic 
reply  to  a  lad  who  "  fancied  himself"  as  a  musician,  and 
to  whom  he  at  once  consented  to  allow  the  use  of  his 
own  harmonium.  "  But  when  shall  I  begin,  sir  ?  "  asked 
the  boy.  "Oh,  well,"  said  Hannington,  looking  at  him 
with  an  amused  smile,  **  I  shall  be  out  on  Thursday." 

These  lads  and  the  young  men  loved  him.  He  gath- 
ered them  together  into  a  Bible-Class  and  Temperance 
Association.  They  were  called  "  Hannington's  Saints," 
but  the)'-  were  not  much  afflicted  thereby.  They  were 
taught  to  regard  the  disapproval  of  the  scoffers  as  the 
highest  compliment  that  could  be  conferred  upon  them. 
The  following  extract  from  his  diary  will  show  how 
closely  he  was  accustomed  to  watch  his  lads,  and,  as  he 
used  to  term  it,  to  "  father  "  them  : 

"Went  to  the  Review  with  several  of  my  Bible-Class. 
I  had  also  with  me  S.  S.,  whom  I  am  trying  to  get  hold 
of.  We  passed  on  the  road  a  vanful  of  the  wild  lads  of 
the  parish.  It  was  extraordinary  to  watch  S.  S.,  how 
wistfully  he  looked  at  them,  and  evidently  longed  to  be 
with  them.  He  watched  them  until  they  disappeared 
from  view.  Oh  !  what  a  fight  the  devil  is  going  to 
make  for  that  young  man  !  Get  to  Thyself  the  victory, 
O  Lord  !     Amen  and  amen." 

*  Mr.  W.  Boxall. 


JEt.  28.1  A  Model  Mission  Hall.  131 

There  is  little  room  for  wonder  that  Hannington  was 
both  respected  and  beloved  when,  as  we  question  his 
people,  there  come  out,  one  by  one,  the  sacrifices  which 
he  made  for  them  and  for  the  Great  Cause  which  he 
had  at  heart.     Take  the  following  example  : 

He  was  very  fond  of  riding.  There  was  no  pleasure 
to  which  he  looked  forward  with  more  keen  delight 
than  to  a  long  gallop  over  the  downs,  or  a  scamper  with 
his  sister-in-law  through  the  country  lanes.  They  two 
would  sometimes  start  from  the  field  beyond  the  gar 
dens  of  St.  George's,  and  ride  straight  across  country 
clearing  everything  in  their  way,  in  a  neck-and-neck 
race. 

But  one  day  Hannington  announced  that  he  had  sold 
his  horse.  He  would  ride  no  more.  He  had  need  of 
the  money  for  other  things  which  were  not  hard  to 
guess.  For  the  future  he  would  go  about  the  parish  on 
foot.  As  for  the  stable  and  coach-house,  he  meant  to 
knock  them  into  one.  They  would,  if  properly  fitted 
up,  form  an  excellent  mission-room,  and  just  such  an 
one  as  he  had  for  a  long  while  wanted  for  his  meetings. 
No  sooner  said  than  done.  Just  behind  his  house  stands 
the  transformed  stable  to-day.  Papered,  carpeted,  hung 
with  paraffine  lamps,  provided  with  forms  and  har- 
monium— a  model  mission  hall;  and  a  model  also  of 
what  may  be  done  by  a  man  whose  heart  is  wholly 
given  to  serve  the  Lord.  These  and  many  similar  acts 
were  done  so  quietly  and  so  wholly  without  ostentation 
of  any  kind,  that  many  of  his  most  intimate  friends 
never  suspected  that  he  was  making  any  special  sac- 
rifices. Of  all  this  from  himself  they  never  heard  a 
syllable. 

He  never  posed  as  a  large-hearted  man,  given  to  lib- 
erality.    Indeed,  I  do  not  think  that  he  knew  that  he 


132  James  Hannhigton.  [A.D.  1875. 

was  liberal.  His  liberality  was  not  a  vestment  put  on; 
it  was  himself  ;  it  ran  in  his  blood.  To  have  behaved 
like  a  churl  would  have  been  to  him  the  most  painful 
thing  in  the  world,  if  not  a  sheer  impossibility. 

I  find  traces  of  ^50  given  to  a  needy  brother  "  mis- 
sioner  "  upon  one  occasion,  and  another  sum  of  ;^4o  to 
a  certain ,  "  to  see  him  through  his  trouble." 

How  many  other  such  sums  were  expended  in  a  sim- 
ilar manner  it  is  impossible  to  guess.  But,  as  George 
Dawson  says  with  regard  to  an  act  of  magnanimity  on 
the  part  of  old  Andrew  Marvell,  "a  man  cannot  do  one 
thing  like  that  without  doing  many  things  like  that," 
and  the  blessed  habit  of  giving,  like  all  other  habits, 
grows  with  the  use  of  it.  He  was  a  preacher,  too,  who 
could  not  fail  to  secure  an  attentive  audience.  While 
he  was  not  naturally  a  ready  speaker,  he  had,  from  the 
commencement  of  his  extempore  preaching,  that  elo- 
quence which  is  bred  of  intense  conviction.  His  style 
might  be  formed  upon  no  known  standard,  but  it  was, 
at  least,  effective.  It  was  never  conventional.  He  never 
dealt  in  platitudes.  He  spoke  as  one  who  had  some- 
thing to  say;  and  from  the  first  he  caught  the  ear  and 
held  the  attention  of  the  most  sleepy  country  congre- 
gations. Of  only  too  many  well-meaning  and  learned 
preachers  might  the  rustic  hearer  complain  with,  alas, 
too  much  of  saddest  truth, 

"  I  'eerd  'urn  a  bummin'  awaay  loike  a  buzzard  clock  ovver  my  'ead, 
An'  I  niver  knaw'd  what  a  mean'd."* 

Hannington,  at  least,  took  care  that  the  people  should 
know  what  he  meant.  In  these,  the  early  days  of  his 
preaching,  he  gave  no  thought  to  anything  but  his  mat- 

*  The  Northern  Farmer, 


^t.  28.]  His  Preaching.  133 

ten  He  would  let  himself  be  carried  impetuously  along 
upon  a  stormy  tide  of  speech,  the  broken  waves  of 
which  disdained  to  be  confined  within  the  bounds  of 
legitimately  constructed  sentences;  and  often  used  he 
laughingly  to  take  his  present  biographer  to  task  for 
"criticising  his  grammar,"  when  such  criticism  was  very 
far  from  his  thoughts. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  these  things  soon  right- 
ed themselves.  He  rapidly  acquired  command  of  lan- 
guage that  expressed  his  thoughts  in  concise  and  pithy 
sentences  ;  and  many  have  without  reserve  endorsed 
words  which  I  ventured  on  a  previous  occasion  to  write 
concerning  him:  "  Latterly  his  preaching  was  not  only 
cultivated  and  powerful,  but,  from  the  originality  of  his 
thought,  and  his  close  acquaintance  with  the  minutiae  of 
Scripture,  most  deeply  interesting  and  instructive."* 
Whatever  faults  may  have  been  laid  to  the  charge  of 
his  early  preaching,  neither  dulness  nor  vagueness  could 
be  numbered  among  them. 

"Are  you  going  to  hear  Jemmy  preach  this  evening?" 
one  neighbor  would  say  to  another.  Or,  next  day,  "  He 
gave  it  us  regular  hot  last  night,  didn't  he  ?" 

When  he  preached  against  any  particular  vice,  no  one 
could  entertain  the  least  doubt  as  to  ivhat  vice  he  in- 
tended to  condemn.  Unlike  the  Irish  clergy  whom  Miss 
Ellice  Hopkins  so  amusingly  describes  as  racking  their 
brains  during  the  potato  famine  to  find  some  eupho- 
nious synonym  for  the  vulgar  word  "  potato,"  Hanning- 
ton  was  never  afraid  to  call  anything  by  its  proper 
name.  So  far  he  was  a  very  Latimer.  In  Devonshire, 
the  "  spade  "  of  immorality  was  called  and  denounced 
by  the  name  which  belongs  to  that  particular  kind  of 

*C.  M.  hitelligencer,  April,  1886. 


134  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875, 

"spade."  In  Hurstpierpoint,  the  "  spade  "  of  drunken- 
ness was  described,  not  in  decent  generalities,  but  in 
most  pungent  particularities.  "  The  old  fuddlers,"  as 
he  used  to  dub  the  alehouse  theologians  and  pothouse 
politicians,  could  not  find  the  least  loophole  of  escape 
from  the  understanding  of  what  it  was  which  their  pastor 
stood  up  to  condemn. 

The  following  is  very  characteristic  :  "  One  Sunday 
he  gave  out  the  announcement:  'I  intend  to  preach  a 
temperance  sermon  next  Sunday  evening;  I  am  aware 
that  the  subject  is  unpopular,  but  you  know  my  own 
views  upon  it.  I  shall,  no  doubt,  speak  pretty  plain,  so 
if  any  of  you  do  not  care  to  hear  me  you  had  better 
stop  away.'     Of  course,  the  church  was  crowded." 

Here  is  an  instance  of  his  adaptability  : 

"  I  had  a  curious  experience  at  the  workhouse.  I  gave 
out  a  text,  and  began  in  rather  a  sermonizing  way.  The 
coughing  was  so  tremendous  that  I  could  scarcely  hear 
myself  speak.  I  never  heard  such  a  selection  of  varied 
coughs  in  my  life.  Well,  thought  I,  this  will  never  do, 
so  I  altered  my  tone,  and  said,  'I  will  tell  you  a  tale.' 
The  coughs  all  stopped  together — dead  silence — and  so 
I  went  on.  As  soon  as  one  tale  was  finished  I  began 
another,  and  so  kept  their  attention  to  the  end  without 
difficulty." 

It  is  told  of  Sydney  Smith,  that,  when  preaching  in 
Edinburgh,  in  the  first  quarter  of  this  century,  seeing 
how  almost  exclusively  the  congregations  were  com- 
posed of  ladies,  he  gave  out  as  his  text,  "  Oh,  that  men 
would  therefore  praise  the  Lord  !  " — laying  distinct  em- 
phasis on  the  word  "  men."  That  was  in  questionable 
taste,  but  it  marked  a  fact.  Bishop  Ryle,  writing  in  '53, 
laments    the  absence  of  men   from   the   churches,   and 


JEt.  29.]  T/ie  Secret  of  his  Success.  135 

there  are  still  parishes  in  which  that  complaint  might  be 
made.  It  was  not  so  in  the  Chapel  of  St.  George's  dur- 
ing James  Hannington's  incumbency. 

But  to  the  problem,  '*  Where  are  the  men  ?  "  it  may  be 
that  an  easier  solution  is  at  hand  than  that  which  pre- 
sents itself  to  some  perplexed  pastors  when  they  pain- 
fully discuss  the  question  at  their  periodic  clerical  meet- 
ing. To  the  reproaches  and  exhortations  of  Pulpit,  it 
may  be  that  Pew  has  something  valid  to  reply.  He 
might  say  :  If  it  be  true  that  "a  modern  sermon  is  too 
often  a  dull,  tame,  pointless  religious  essay,  full  of 
measured,  round  sentences,  Johnsonian  English,  bald 
platitudes,  timid  statements,  and  elaborately-concocted 
milk  and  water  "  * — change  all  that ;  preach  to  us  some- 
thing the  very  opposite  of  that  veracious  description, 
and  you  will  no  longer  have  to  ask,  "Where  are  the 
men  ? "  Englishmen  have  not  lost  their  love  of  a  good 
sermon.  They  are  not  harder  to  please  to-day  than 
were  the  audiences  of  Latimer,  Wesley,  Whitefield,  or 
Chalmers.  They  do  not  even  ask  for  a  fine  sermon  ; 
only  preach  to  them  in  earnest,  and  preach  to  the  point, 
and  they  will  not  fail  to  give  you  a  hearing.  In  some 
such  terms  might  Pew  lift  up  his  voice  in  reply  to  the 
wailing  of  deserted  Pulpit. 

The  secret  of  Hannington's  success  will  probably  be 
found  to  have  been,  that  what  truths  were  made  plain 
to  his  own  heart,  these  he  sought  the  power  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  enable  him  to  make  plain  to  the  congregation. 
And  he  had  no  lack  of  hearers.  Men  and  women,  young 
and  old,  they  filled  his  little  chapel  to  its  utmost  holding 
capacity. 

The  experience,  moreover,  of  his  own  former  life  was 

*  Bishop  Ryle. 


136  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

very  useful  to  him  here.  He  had  proved  for  and  in  him- 
self that  it  is  possible  to  believe  in  God,  think  seriously, 
and  pray  earnestly,  without  having  any  definite  part  or 
lot  in  Christ's  matter.  He,  therefore,  never  fell  into  the 
mistake  of  addressing  his  hearers  as  though  they  were 
Christians  indeed  until  they  had  bee^  actually  converted 
to  God.  He  sought  for  broken  hearts,  contrite  spirits, 
and  souls  willing  to  be  saved  through  faith  in  the  Re- 
deemer ;  nor  did  he  seek  in  vain  ;  in  results  such  as  these 
his  ministry  was  fruitful  from  the  first. 

But,  while  Hannington  was  a  diligent  preacher,  minis- 
trant,  and  visitor,  he  did  not  forget  that  his  flock  pos- 
sessed bodies  as  well  as  souls.  He  took  an  active  prac- 
tical leadership  in  every  local  effort  to  improve  the 
well-being  of  the  people.  I  find  a  note  about  a  certain 
Industrial  Exhibition  *  which  was  planned  and  organ- 
ized almost  wholly  by  his  own.  exertions,  though,  as 
usual,  he  succeeded  in  enlisting  the  co-operation  of  al- 
most everybody,  and  arousing  their  enthusiasm  in  the 
success  of  the  undertaking.  The  idea  of  this  exhibition 
was,  that  everybody  in  the  village  should  show  their 
various  manufactures,  paintings,  joiners'  work,  carving, 
and  any  curious  or  fancy  articles  they  might  possess. 
The  people  took  up  the  plan  warmly,  and  the  exhibi- 
tion, which  was  the  first  of  the  kind  ever  held  in  the 

*  Mr.  Mitten  writes  with  regard  to  this  exhibition  :  "  Here  at 
Hurstpierpoint  our  friend  did  a  good  deal,  and  it  is  a  place  where 
it  is  ver)' difficult  for  anybody  to  do  anything  without  raising  ob- 
struction in  some  quarter  or  other.  He  threw  himself  fully  into  the 
idea  of  the  exhibition,  and  so  cautiously  approached  the  Rector  and 
Resident  Curate,  that  they  too  entered  into  the  project  heartily,  as 
if  it  were  their  own  idea ;  indeed,  his  management  of  this  difficult 
feat  filled  mc  with  admiration  for  his  skill  in  making  people  do  just 
as  he  wished,  by  rendering  it  impossible  that  they  could  do  any 
other  thing  to  their  own  satisfaction." 


^t.  29.]  Fearless  Shepherding.  137 

neighborhood,  proved  a  great  success.  t  was  repeated 
in  following  years,  and  no  doubt  was  useful  to  many 
as  a  guide  to  the  discovery  of  their  own  individual  talent, 
and  an  encouragement  to  occupy  their  hands  in  some 
profitable  pursuit. 

Nor  did  his  interest  in  medical  work  slacken.  Here 
are  some  specimen  entries  from  his  diary  : 

"  Helped  Dr.  Smith  to  cut  off  a  man's  finger — gan- 
grene. 

"  Assisted  Drs.  S.  and  H.  to  cut  off  Bristowe's  arm,  as 
mortification  had  gone  further.  Afterwards,  performed 
duties  of  hospital  nurse;  carried  off  the  arm  and  buried  it. 

"Dr.  Pearce  summoned  me  to  come  and  help  at  a 
post-mortem.  Found  two  large  stones  in  each  kidney. 
Very  bad  subject.  Dr.  P.  cut  himself,  and  I  had  to  sew 
him  up  again." 

The  following  is  a  good  example  of  fearless  shepherd- 
ing : 

"  A  most  virulent  case  of  small-pox  in  an  outlying  part 
of  the  parish  ;  a  boy  taken  with  it.  I  called,  and  found 
the  people  forsaken  by  their  neighbors.  No  milk,  and 
the  boy's  life  depending  upon  it.  I  fetched  some  milk, 
and  then,  at  the  request  of  the  mother,  saw  the  boy  and 
prayed  with  him.  The  next  day  it  was  all  over  the  par- 
ish that  I  had  visited  the  small-pox  case.  The  people 
were  in  a  dreadful  state  of  mind.  The  relieving  officer 
called,  and  in  an  authoritative  way  ordered  me  not  to  go 
near  the  place.  I  replied  that  if  the  law  were  on  the 
side  of  the  sanitary  officials,  it  was  open  to  them  to  use 
it,  but  where  duty  called  I  should  go  ;  and  as  he  went 
out  of  one  door,  I  went  out  at  the  other,  and  called  at 
the  infected  house.  The  doctor  gave  no  hope.  Every 
preparation  had   been   made  to  bury,  the  poor  lad  the 


138  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1879. 

same  night.  The  following  day  the  health  officer  wrote, 
urging  me  to  take  every  precaution,  but  not  forbidding 
me  to  go,  as  the  law  is  on  my  side.  Letter  from  X.  Y. 
Z.,  asking  me  not  even  to  speak  to  her  husband  in  his 

carriage  out  of  doors  for  three  weeks !  !     After 

all,  the  boy  recovered." 

Whenever  the  people  were  in  any  danger,  distress,  or 
difficulty,  they  knew  to  whom  they  might  apply  for  help 
without  fear  of  refusal.  Here  is  an  instance  which  may 
give  one  an  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  he  would  follow 
up  to  its  conclusion  any  case  which  he  had  undertaken. 

In  October  of  1879   Hannington  received  a  telegram 

from  a  certain  Mrs.  ,  asking  him  to  come  at  once  to 

her  assistance,  as  her  husband  had  run  away  with  another 
woman  and  left  her  wholly  destitute.  He  lost  no  time 
in  bestirring  himself  in  the  matter,  and  the  man  was 
soon  arrested  and  in  custody.  Hannington  then  called 
upon  the  prisoner,  but  found  him  entirely  hardened,  and 
refusing  to  be  reconciled  to  his  wife.  He  prayed  with 
him,  pleaded  with  him,  and  spent  much  time  in  repre- 
senting his  duty  to  him  from  every  point  of  view,  but 
all  to  no  purpose.  The  next  day  he  was  up  early,  and 
sought  the  man's  cell  before  breakfast,  in  hope  that  the 
night's  meditation  might  have  resulted  in  a  better  frame 
of  mind.  The  husband  was  still  sullen,  and  obstinately 
refused  to  see  him.  Nothing  daunted,  Hannington  ap- 
peared in  the  man's  behalf  in  the  court,  and  said  all  that 
was  possible  in  his  favor  with  regard  to  his  past  history. 
He  was,  however,  condemned  and  sentenced  to  three 
months'  imprisonment  with  hard  labor.  Up  to  this 
time  he  had,  with  strange  perversity,  persuaded  himself 
that  his  wife  and  all  the  rest  of  the  world  were  in  the 
wrong,  and  that  he  was  the  persecuted  and  injured  vie- 


Mt.  32.]  An  Obdurate  Prisoner.  139 

tim  of  their  malice.  His  sentence,  therefore,  came  upon 
him  as  an  additional  and  unwarrantable  piece  of  injus- 
tice. He  was  furious.  More  impracticable  than  ever. 
Hannington  lost  no  time  in  seeking  another  interviev/ 
with  him,  but  met  with  nothing  but  reproaches  and  bit- 
ter accusations  against  all  concerned  in  his  incarceration. 
He  was  not  discouraged,  but,  as  usual,  made  the  man's 
case  the  subject  of  special  pleading  in  his  private  prayers. 
He  did  not  lose  sight  of  him,  but  kept  himself  ac- 
quainted with  the  prisoner's  movements  in  the  jail 
where  he  was  confined,  and  when  the  day  of  release 
arrived,  went  up  himself  to  meet  him  and  tender  his 
assistance.  After  an  intei^view  which  lasted  three  hours, 
he  left  him  deeply  penitent.  Not  long  afterwards  occurs 
this  entry  in  the  diary  : 

"  Went  up  to  town  ;  took  an  affectionate  leave  of . 


He  sails  for ,  is  still  very  depressed,  but  I  have  every 

hope  that  real  blessing  has  come  out  of  it." 

Nor  did  he  go  without  substantial  help  from  his 
friend  ;  which  help  he  used  to  good  purpose  in  the  land 
of  his  regenerated  life,  and  in  due  time  "  returned  every 
penny  of  it." 

Disinterested  acts  of  kindness  like  the  above  could 
not  fail  to  win  for  him  something  more  than  the  mere 
liking  of  the  people  among  whom  he  labored.  No  doubt 
they  were  as  prone  as  others  to  take  the  attentions 
of  their  pastor,  and  any  sacrifice  on  his  part  in  their 
behalf,  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but  they  could  not  help 
seeing  that  he  was  no  "  hireling  shepherd."  From  his 
lips  the  words,  "  I  seek  not  yours,  but  you,"  came  as  no 
vain  protestation,  but  as  a  statement  of  undeniable  fact. 
Whether  they  v/ould  or  no,  they  could  not  withhold  their 


140  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1875—79. 

hearts  from  him.     If  they  did  not  agree  with  his  teach 
ing,  or  follow  his  precepts,  at  least  they  all  loved  him. 

And  he,  too,  was  attached  both  to  the  people  and  to 
his  work  among  them  in  no  ordinary  way.  More  than 
once  he  was  offered  livings  with  larger  and  better  knoAvn 
spheres  of  labor.  But  though  he  derived  no  emolument 
from  St.  George's,  which  had  been  left  to  him  by  his 
father  without  a  stipend  attached  to  it,  and,  as  time  went 
by,  his  private  income,  which  had  been  amply  sufficient 
for  a  bachelor,  proved  to  be  no  luxurious  provision  for 
a  family,  he  always  refused  preferment.  His  constant 
reply  to  those  who  would  have  him  seek  promotion  was, 
"  I  dwell  among  mine  own  people." 

It  may  be  a  fitting  conclusion  to  this  chapter  to  say  a 
few  words  with  regard  to  Hannington's  Church  views. 
Some  of  the  readers  of  this  book  will,  no  doubt,  remain 
unsatisfied  until  they  have  been  told  to  what  party  in 
the  Church  he  belonged.  But  if  they  hope  to  find  in 
him  a  partisan  of  their  own  special  school  of  thought,  I 
fear  that  they  will  lay  down  these  pages  with  disap- 
pointment. Whatever  party  may  lay  claim  to  him,  I 
cannot,  after  an  impartial  survey  of  his  whole  life,  dis- 
cover that  he  attached  himself  exclusively  to  any  section 
of  the  Church.  What  I  mean  by  that  is,  that  he  was 
not  a  party  man.  He  never  seemed  to  me  to  take  the 
slightest  interest  in  Church-party-politics.  He  undoubt- 
edly found  most  that  was  congenial  to  him  in  the  society 
of  men  who  are  generally  supposed  to  belong  to  a  cer- 
tain school,  but  he  did  not  weigh  the  merits  of  others 
in  the  balances  of  that  school ;  whenever  and  wherever 
he  thought  that  he  recognized  a  spiritually-minded  man, 
he  quickly  and  joyfully  accepted  him,  whether  he  found 
him  in  priest's  cloak  and  biretta,  or  the  broadcloth  of 
some  country  local  preacher.     He  was  quite  willing  to 


JEt.  29—33.]  -^^^  Church   Views.  141 

occupy  the  pulpit  of  any  man — whetlier  in  the  Church 
of  England  or  out  of  it — who  would  allow  him  to  preach 
a  Gospel  sermon,  even  though  the  views  usually  advo- 
cated from  that  pulpit  differed  in  many  points  from  his 
own.  He  was  very  impatient  of  all  conventional  rules 
which  threatened  to  hamper  his  full  liberty  of  Christian 
action,  and  was,  in  the  same  way,  an  enemy  of  any  for- 
malism in  worship  which  might  tend  to  cramp  his  spir- 
itual freedom.  Toward  the  close  of  his  ministry,  and 
especially  when  he  himself  had  become  an  administrator 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  his  views  underwent  some 
modification,  and  he  learned  to  estimate  Church  order  at 
its  full  value  ;  but  at  this  time  the  one  thing  which  he 
craved  above  all  others  was  freedom — freedom  to  serve 
Christ  as  the  Spirit  might  direct  him.  As  we  have  seen, 
his  feelings  had  undergone  a  considerable  change  since 
the  time  when  he  was  first  brought  into  contact  with 
the  Church.  Then  he  was  strongly  drawn  toward  High- 
Churchism.  In  his  boyhood,  he  had  even  once  been 
powerfully  attracted  by  the  Roman  system.  The  dis- 
cipline, apparent  union,  and  the  zeal  of  the  English 
Romanists  commended  them  greatly  to  him.  His  mind, 
however,  was  too  robust  and  independent  to  accept 
Roman  dogma  ;  and,  still  in  search  of  something  where- 
with to  satisfy  the  desire  of  his  soul,  he  thought  that  he 
had  found  what  he  wanted  in  the  "  Anglican  "  Church 
system.  He  had  not  at  that  time  grasped  the  truth  that 
the  only  way  to  peace  with  God  is  through  vital  and 
personal  union  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  much  less 
had  he  found  that  peace  ;  but  he  was  thoroughly  in 
earnest,  and  he  required  earnestness  in  any  religious  soci- 
ety of  men  as  an  essential  condition  to  joining  himself 
to  them.  The  self-denial  which  was  entailed  upon  him 
in  keeping  the  Fasts  and  Holy  Days  of  the  Church 
seemed  to  satisfy  for  a  w^hile  his  spiritual  craving. 


142  James  Hannington.         [A.D.  1875 — 79. 


This  was  the  attitude  of  his  mind  when  he  went  to 
Oxford,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  had  he  been 
bi'ought  under  the  personal  influence  of  some  leading 
High-Churchman,  some  man  of  commanding  moral  force, 
who  could  have  at  once  claimed  him  by  his  personality, 
and  fascinated  him  by  the  spectacle  of  a  practical,  manly 
life,  coupled  with  such  an  inner  religious  life  as  would 
have  appealed  to  his  imagination — he  might  have  been 
readily  seized,  and,  at  least  for  a  time,  held. 

This,  however,  did  not  happen.  While  his  mind  was 
still  in  the  balance,  and  while,  moreover,  his  religious 
sense  was  almost  drowned  in  the  excitement  of  his  new 
college  life  and  popularity,  so  that  he  was  not  inclined 
to  think  so  seriously  as  before,  and  was  little  disposed 
to  delve  beneath  the  surface  of  things,  and  patiently  dig 
out  truth  for  himself,  he  was  brought  into  contact  with 
a  set  among  the  undergraduates  which  professed  to  be 
the  exponent  of  the  latest  and  most  correct  Church  rit- 
ual. The  young  men  who  composed  this  set  paid  great 
attention  to  correctness  of  posture  in  chapel,  and  lo 
niceties  of  observance  in  public  and  private  worship 
They  were  fond  of  dressing  themselves,  in  the  privacy 
of  their  own  rooms,  in  abbreviated,  lace-trimmed  sur- 
plices, and  getting  themselves  photographed  with  crozier 
and  censer.  In  the  bedroom  of  one  such,  we  accident- 
ally discovered  an  altar  composed  of  his  trunk,  draped 
with  a  suitable  antimacassar,  upon  which  stood  a  row 
of  tiny  candlesticks  and  a  vase  or  so  of  flowers,  while 
above,  upon  the  wall,  hung  a  plaster  crucifix ! 

Those  who  knew  Hannington  will  understand  what 
must  have  been  the  effect  produced  upon  him.  His 
mind,  apparently,  underwent  a  swift  revulsion.  All  this 
jarred  upon  him  and  disgusted  him.  It  offered  him  end- 
less food  for  raillery,  and  excited  his  immeasurable  con- 


yEt.  29 — 33.]  A    Universal  Christian.  143 

tempt.  He  loved  to  lampoon  the  performers  and  ridicule 
their  "  functions."  It  was  not,  of  course,  fair  that  a  sys- 
tem should  be  judged  by  the  youthful  extravagance  of 
its  junior  disciples,  but  Hannington  was  at  that  time 
very  impressionable,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
to  what  he  then  saw,  during  his  residence  at  Oxford, 
may  be  attributed  the  origin  of  that  dislike  for  all  un- 
necessary ritual  which  he  displayed  at  the  commence- 
ment of  his  ministerial  life. 

Afterwards,  his  lot  fell  among  Evangelicals.  They 
did  not  obtain  any  decided  influence  over  him  while  at 
Oxford,  but  it  was  among  them  that  he  first,  after  his 
conversion,  felt  the  power  of  spiritual  life.  At  this  time, 
if  he  had  been  pressed  to  define  himself,  he  would,  no 
doubt,  have  termed  himself  an  Evangelical,  but  while  he 
undoubtedly  found  himself  most  in  unison  with  liberal 
and  large-hearted  members  of  that  school,  he  already 
disliked  party  names  and  the  spirit  of  faction,  and  utter- 
ly declined  to  be  bound  by  the  "  red  tape  "  of  any  party 
whatsoever.  He  had  the  widest  sympathy  with  all 
Christians.  He  loved  and  respected  all  those  who  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity.  Toward  the  close  of  his 
ministry  especially  his  feelings  toward  all  Christian 
workers  became  enlarged  and  his  antipathies  softened. 
Every  against  seemed  to  have  been  swallowed  up  by  one 
all-comprehensive  for — for  Christ.  At  the  same  time 
this  large-hearted  charity  did  not  prevent  him  from 
being  a  true  son  of  the  Church.  His  love  for  his  own 
Church  evidently  deepened  with  each  year  that  he  served 
in  her  ranks  ;  he  had  no  doubt  in  his  own  mind  as  to  her 
superiority,  both  in  order  and  forms,  over  those  bodies 
which  dissented  from  her.  A  Universal  Christian  first, 
and  a  "  Churchman  "  after,  he  did  not  for  a  moment  for- 
get that  he  was  the  latter. 


CHAPTER  X. 

HOME    MISSION    WORK    AND    PERSONAL    DIARY. 

(1875—79-) 

"  The  Country  Parson  desires  to  be  All  to  his  Parish." 

George  Herbert. 

In  the  previous  chapter  I  have  attempted  to  describe 
Hannington  as  he  appeared  in  his  parish,  and  to  ascer- 
tain how  it  was  that  he  came  to  be  loved,  and  to  be  a 
moral  force  there.  We  may  now,  perhaps,  with  advan- 
tage continue  to  follow  the  details  of  his  life  in  their 
chronological  order. 

It  is  deeply  interesting  to  note  how  entirely  his  heart 
was  thrown  into  the  business  of  "  fishing  for  men."  His 
diary  at  this  period  is  full  of  jottings  which  refer  to  the 
spiritual  awakening  of  such  a  one,  or  his  conversations 
with  another  concerning  the  welfare  of  his  soul.  The 
subject  is  never  absent  from  his  thoughts.  Such  entries 
as  the  following  stud  thickly  page  after  page  : 

"  Spoke  to  H.  H.,  and  was  made  useful  to  him.  He 
was  certainly  converted  to  God." 

"  My  old  master  and  friend,  W.  H.  G.,  called.  Moody 
has  been  blessed  to  him.  He  seems  now  thoroughly 
converted." 

"  My  servant,  John,*  was,  I  trust,  turned  to  the  Lord  ; 
I  have  prayed  for  him  a  long  while." 

*  Mr.  Mitten  writes  :  "  It  was  a  way  also  of  our  friend  to  take  a 
lad  for  his  servant  and  transform  him,  then  pass  him  on  to  some- 
thing better.  In  this  way  he  had  a  good  many,  who  have,  so  far 
as  I  know,  all  turned  out  well.  He  had  a  great  influence  with  young 
men,  and  collected  many  to  come  and  read  with  him." 
(144) 


-^t.  29.]  His  Brother  Joseph.  145 

About  this  time  he  was  able  to  be  of  assistance  to 
his  youngest  brother,  Joseph.  Mr.  Joseph  Hannington 
writes  : 

"  Some  little  time  before  I  knew  what  it  was  to  have 
full  assurance  of  faith,  I  came  down  one  Sunday  from 
Brighton  to  hear  my  brother  James  preach.  I  was  in 
much  doubt  and  distress  of  mind.  One  remark  in  my 
brother's  sermon  made  a  deep  impression  upon  me,  and 
threw  light  into  my  soul.  It  was  as  follows  :  '  The  fact 
of  our  salvation  does  fiot  depend  upon  our  own  feelings.  As 
for  myself,  there  are  times  when,  if  I  consulted  my  feelings,  I 
should  say  that  I  am  ?tot  saved.  I  should  be  plunged  again 
into  the  depths  of  misery.  Feelings  are  treacherous  things, 
not  to  be  trusted.  They  are  the  least  reliable  of  things  to  rest 
upon.  After  some  sermon  which  has  met  our  owft  case  we  may 
have  e.xperienced  a  time  of  peace  ;  or  our  circumstances  may 
have  induced  a  happy  frame  of  ?nind,  we  are  then  quite  assured 
of  God's  love.  Depression  of  spirits  follows,  and  ive  quickly 
lose  our  hope.  But  as  surely  as  we  rest  upon  these  frauds,  our 
feelings,  the  Lord  will  see  fit  to  withdraw  them  in  order  that 
we  may  learn  to  rest  ipon  Him.  I  find  that  as  soon  as  I  go 
back  afid  take  my  stand  upon  His  bare  Word,  I  recover  my  joy 
and  peace.  Therefore,  let  me  urge  upon  you  the  necessity  of 
staying  your  faith  upon  Christ :  not  upon  your  most  hallowed 
feelifigs,  but  upon  Christ  Himself  and  His  written  promises. 
Whetiever  you  are  in  doubt,  perplexed,  and  unhappy,  go  at  once 
to  the  Lord ;  fix  your  mind  upon  some  precious  passage  frotn 
His  unfailing  Word,  and  God's  Truth  will  disperse  any  mists 
of  darkness  which  Satan's  lies  may  have  brought  upon  your 
soul.* 

"  From  these  words  I  received  much  help,  as  I  had  for 
a  long  time  fancied  that  when  I  felt  happy  after  prayer, 
or  reading  my  Bible,  or  hearing  some  sermon,  I  was  all 
7 


146  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

right,  but  in  a  very  little  while  all  these  happy  feelings 
fled  away  and  left  me  more  wretched  than  ever.  A  short 
time  after  this  my  attention  was  directed  by  the  Hon.  T. 
Pelham  to  St.  John  iii.  36,  '  He  that  believeth  hath 
everlasting  life*;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  opened  my  eyes 
in  a  moment,  and  I  saw  the  truth  of  my  dear  brother's 
words,  and  have  been  enabled  to  rest  from  that  day  to 
this  upon  the  Word  as  a  rock  that  cannot  be  shaken." 

Mr.  Joseph  Hannington  goes  on  to  say  that,  being 
overjoyed  at  his  discovery,  he  tried  to  impart  his  happi- 
ness to  all  whom  he  met.  He  did  not  receive,  however, 
universal  encouragement.  One  old  Christian  bade  him 
take  heed  and  not  be  too  joyful,  as  he  would  soon  prob- 
ably lose  the  fervor  of  these  first  impressions.  Thus  he 
was  damped.     He  says  : 

"  I  next  wrote  to  my  brother  James  ;  and  oh,  how  dif- 
ferently he  met  my  case  !  A  letter  soon  came  expressing 
his  great  delight,  and  telling  me  that  he  would  not  cease 
to  pray  for  me.  He  was  never  at  any  time  very  fond  of 
writing  letters,  but  he  then  wrote  quite  lengthily  for 
him,  and  tried  to  build  me  up  and  encourage  me  to  fol- 
low the  Lord  and  to  learn  to  know  Him  better.  He 
used  a  good  deal  of  persuasion,  and  took  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  to  induce  me  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
of  England,  but  this  did  not  happen,  as  I  could  not  see 
my  way  clearly  in  that  matter.  He,  however,  set  me  to 
work  at  once  in  connection  with  his  meetings  ;  my  part 
was  to  waylay  souls  and  catch  them  by  guile  in  order 
that  they  might  be  induced  to  remain  to  be  dealt  with 
personally,  or  to  seek  an  interview  with  him  in  his  own 
study.  Thus  a  goodly  number  were  brought  to  the 
Lord.  He  was  particularly  apt  in  dealing  with  souls, 
and  was  much  used  in  removing  their  difficulties  and 


^t.  29.]  Acts  as  "  Best  3fan."  147 

pointing  them  to  a  simple  acceptance  of  the  Saviour. 
He  would  frequently  say,  '  Now,  don't  push  them  for- 
ward too  quickly,  or  they  won't  stand  and  certify  that 
the  work  is  real.'  But,  as  a  rule,  the  converts  stood 
firmly,  and  many  of  them  are  now  experienced  Chris- 
tians and  workers  in  the  Lord's  vineyard. 

"  In  bygone  days  our  eldest  brother,  a  friend,  and 
myself  used  to  meet  nearly  every  day  to  dine  together 
at  half-past  one.  We  were  almost  sure  to  get  upon  the 
subject  of  religion.  It  was  Jim's  delight  to  come  round 
the  corner  quietly  and  surprise  us  all,  at  the  same  time 
remarking,  *  Here  you  are  again,  upon  the  same  old 
subject ! '  And  right  heartily  would  he  come  and  join 
in.  He  delighted  to  enter  into  any  conversation  that 
was  connected  with  the  salvation  of  souls  and  the  love 
of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Saviour." 

Hannington  had  a  great  deal  of  the  boy  in  him  still. 
He  came  to  Sandgate  at  the  end  of  1875  to  act  as  "  best 
man  "  at  my  own  marriage,  and  his  spirits  were  exuber- 
antly overflowing.  When  first  he  had  been  informed  of 
my  engagement,  he  had  been  full  of  the  idea  that  the 
safest  course  for  a  servant  of  God  was  celibacy,  and  he 
had  written  to  me,  not  without  austerity,  entreating  me 
to  beware,  lest  I  should  allow  an  earthly  affection  to 
usurp  the  highest  Love.  Now,  however,  he  was  dis- 
posed to  regard  this  my  matrimonial  alliance  with 
greater  leniency — a  leniency  to  which  the  following 
entry  in  his  diary,  made  about  a  fortnight  previously, 
may  afford  some  clue  :  *'  Called  for  the  first  time  upon 
Mrs.  Hankin-Turvin  at  Leacrofts;  she  and  her  daughter 
come  to  my  church,  and  are  earnest  Christian  people." 
It  is  possible,  then,  that  this  first  interview  Avith  Miss 
Hankin-Turvin  had  somewhat  modified  the  severity  of 


148  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1875. 

his  views.  Or  perhaps  he  had  satisfied  himself  that  my 
intended  wife  was  not — to  use  his  own  expression — "  a 
daughter  of  Belial." 

At  all  events,  he  threw  himself  into  the  preparations 
for  this  wedding  with  an  impetuous  zeal  that  was  de- 
lightful to  behold,  even  if  it  were  at  times  somewhat 
embarrassing.  He  insisted  upon  helping  me  to  pack 
my  boxes,  though — amid  laughter,  teasing,  and  constant 
fresh  discoveries  of  how  the  various  articles  might  be 
better  arranged,  or  rammed  down  so  as  to  occupy  less 
space — the  packing  made  but  slow  progress.  When,  at 
last,  my  dear  wife  and  I  were  seated  in  our  reserved 
carriage,  booked  for  London,  and,  thinking  that  we  had 
seen  the  last  of  the  wedding  party,  were  trying  to  look 
as  though  we  were  not  newly  married,  a  face  beaming 
with  excitement  suddenly  appeared  at  the  window,  and 
our  irresistible  "  best  man  "  bestowed  his  parting  bless- 
ing upon  us,  covering  us  with  shame  and  confusion  be- 
fore the  grinning  porters,  with  a  well-directed  handful 
of  rice. 

At  the  end  of  1875  Hannington  accepted  the  Secreta- 
ryship of  the  Hurstpierpoint  Temperance  Association. 
Into  this  new  work  he  threw  himself  with  characteristic 
energy.  He  writes  :  "  I  am  about  the  only  teetotaler  in 
Hurst";  but,  nothing  daunted  by  the  fact  that  total  ab- 
stinence was  evidently  very  unpopular,  he  determined 
that  he  would  wage  war  to  the  knife  against  drink.  Mr. 
Boxall  tells  how,  during  the  first  year,  only  four  pledges 
were  taken,  and  how,  as  Hannington  persevered,  in  spite 
of  the  most  determined  opposition,  the  number  of  ab- 
stainers gradually  increased. 

He  says  :  "  At  that  time  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
drunkenness  in  the  village  ;  no  less  than  seven  public- 
houses  were  turning  out  their  weekly  average  of  '  finished 


^t.  29.]  Temperance  at  Hurst.  149 

articles.'  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Bishop  we  can  re- 
member was  on  one  Christmas  evening,  when,  in  walk- 
ing up  the  street,  we  saw  one  of  those  notorious  charac- 
ters floundering  helplessly  in  the  miry  road.  Together 
with  the  Bishop,  we  were  able  to  drag  the  poor  fellow 
along  to  his  home,  but  in  a  most  pitiable  condition, 
being  almost  encased  in  mud.  Being  brought  much  in 
contact  with  drink  by  visiting  among  the  working 
classes,  his  ardent  nature  was  roused  into  earnestness 
and  zeal,  and,  in  Bible-class  and  pulpit,  he  vigorously 
advocated  total  abstinence.  He  never  went  about  with- 
out a  pledge-book.  There  was  no  popular  sympathy, 
and  those  who  signed  were  only  met  by  the  derisive  cry, 
^Iles  joined  the  saints.'  This  merely  roused  him  to 
greater  exertion,  more  meetings  were  held,  teas  wei'e 
given  in  the  mission-room,  every  inducement  was  held 
out.  The  coldness  and  indifference  of  the  people  on 
this  subject  distressed  him  greatly.  He  frankly  told  his 
congregation  that  this  was  the  hardest  work  he  had  ever 
taken  in  hand."  * 

The  publicans  could  not  have  adopted  a  worse  course 
than  that  of  stirring  up  opposition  to  his  crusade.  They 
did  not  know  their  man  if  they  thought  that  they  could 
either  put  him  down  or  tire  him  out.  He  rose  to  meet 
a  difficulty  with  the  keen  joy  of  a  strong  svvrimmer  v^dio 
delights  to  bathe  in  the  breakers  and  shakes  aside  their 
force  with  a  rich  enjoyment  of  the  contest.  He  went 
about  everywhere  among  the  mockers,  and  the  more 
serious  opponents  of  his  views  alike,  with  that  good- 
natured  persistence  of  his  which  so  often  proved  irre- 
sistible.    "  No  man  could  call  another  a  *  fuddler '  as  he 

*  Art.  in  Church  of  England  Temperance  Chronicle,  April  24, 


150  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1876. 

could.  With  the  utmost  good  humor  he  would  say, 
*Ah  !  you're  another  old  fuddier ;  won't  you  come  and 
write  in  my  little  book  ? '  He  had  a  well-known  sign 
which  he  used  to  make  ;  holding  up  his  left  hand  he 
would  write  with  his  fingers  upon  it.  Every  one  knew 
that  it  meant,  '  Come  and  sign  the  pledge.'  "* 
We  may  insert  here  a  later  entry  : 

"  Preached  for  the  temperance  cause  in  the  Church  of 
the  Annunciation,  a  ritualistic  church  in  Brighton.  A 
crucifix  hanging  over  my  head.  There  was  an  extra- 
ordinary gathering.  People  of  all  denominations  had 
flocked  to  see  what  I  should  do,  and  whether  I  should 
be  true  to  my  colors.  Wherever  I  looked  I  saw  some- 
body whom  I  knew.  I  preached  from  i  Tim.  v.  23,  and 
as  I  gave  out  the  text,  *  Take  a  little  wine,'  I  thought  I 
saw  some  of  them  look  terrified;  but  I  went  on  to  show 
that  my  brother  had  a  stronger  claim  upon  me  than  my 
stomach  !  " 

At  last  the  time  appointed  by  the  Bishop  of  Exeter 
drew  to  a  close,  and  in  June,  1876,  Hannington  went  to 
Chichester  to  pass  his  final  examination  for  Priest's 
Orders.     He  writes  : 

"  There  is  a  marked  difference  in  tone  between  the 
Chichester  and  Exeter  examinations.  Here  the  tone  is 
much  more  spiritual. 

"June  Zth. — Two    of    our    number   disappeared    this 

morning.     One, ,  with  whom  I  was  at  school,  and 

with  whom  I  fought  and  thrashed  ! 

"9///. — Examination  finished.  I  have  been  highly 
complimented  by  all  the  examiners,  five  in  number,  and 

*  Art.  in  Church  of  Engla7id  TemperaJice  Chronicle,  April  24, 
1886. 


^t.  29.]  The  Key  to  his  Character.  1 5 1 

told  that  I  have  come  out  at  the  top  of  the  list.  Thank 
God  !  It  is  a  lift  after  my  hard  experience  at  Exeter, 
for  which  I  can  never  consider  that  I  was  to  blame. 

"  lo//;. — (Shall  I  quote  it?  Yes;  for  that  which  ren- 
dered him  so  incomprehensible  to  certain  matter-of-fact 
and  unsympathetic  minds,  who  had  no  understanding 
of  the  unconventional,  is  just  that  quality  which  so 
specially  endears  his  memory  to  his  friends — I  mean 
that  light-hearted  boyishness  which  he  retained  side  by 
side  with  his  purposeful  manhood — and  this  extract 
affords  a  kind  of  key  to  his  character.  Here  it  is)  : 
"  Saturday,  the  10th. — A  day  of  rest.  I  nested  in  the 
Bishop's  garden,  and  round  the  belfry  tower  for  swift's 
eggs."  I  confess  that  I  do  not  envy  the  man  who  can 
read  this  extract  with  contemptuous  disapproval,  or 
who  can  suppose  that  the  writer  of  it  meditated  less,  or 
spent  a  less  profitable  day  after  his  Ordination  exam- 
ination, than  if  he  had  confined  himself  to  a  respectable 
promenade  within  the  limits  of  the  gravel  paths. 

"Sunday,  the  11th. — Procession  from  Palace  to  Ca- 
thedral. Dean  preached  an  excellent  sermon,  and  the 
whole  service,  though  exhaustingly  long,  was  impress- 
ively performed.  Afternoon,  Burgon  preached  again  ; 
I  had  tea  and  supper  at  the  Deanery,  and  went  for  a 
long  walk  with  the  Dean,  who  is  more  eccentiic  than 
ever. 

"Sept.  i^ih. — Opened  a  meeting  in  my  coach-house  " 
(this  was  the  transformed  stable  and  coach-house,  hence- 
forth to  be  a  mission-room),  ''and  invited  the  first  time 
only  those  to  whom  I  believe  the  Word  has  been  blessed." 
(Here  follows  a  list  of  names.)  "  My  brother  Joseph 
spoke. 

"  Oct.  a^th. — Started  a  Mother's  Meeting,  the  first  ever 
held  in  Hurst. 


152  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1876. 

^^  6th. — Commenced  a  Women's  Bible-Class.  May  the 
Lord  bless  these  efforts  ! 

"  wth, — About  sixty  present  at  the  Men's  Bible-Class. 
I  am  taking  St.  John's  Gospel  regularly  through. 

"  \/\^th. — Started  a  Saturday  Night  Prayer-Meeting  for 
men,  and  prayed  earnestly  that  it  might  continue. 

"JVov.  i6t/i. — Went  into  Brighton  to  Bowker's  and  Hop- 
kins' meeting.  Perhaps  I  heard  selfishly,  but  I  did  not 
get  what  I  expected." 

The  following  letter  may  here  be  quoted  with  the  re- 
minder that  it  was  written  in  a  chatt)^  way  to  his  wife, 
and  that  the  language  used  is,  as  one  might  suppose, 
wholly  unguarded  : 

"  I  have  had  a  letter  from  Jos,  the  result  of  a  conver- 
sation with  Beatrice  about  '  Convention  '  views.  I  am 
evidently  regarded  as  very  grovelling  and  in  the  mire, 
but  I  fail  to  see  that  there  is  any  practical  difference 
between  us  as  to  the  results  of  faith.  With  regard  to 
the  possession  of  perfect  peace  by  a  believer,  we  are 
quite  agreed.  So  also  with  regard  to  I'ejoicing  always. 
But  with  regard  to  bonds,*  Jos  suffers  as  much  as  I  do. 
I  only  put  the  clock  in  front  of  him  so  that  he  might 
not  exceed  the  hour,  and  it  put  him  in  such  fearful 
bondage  that  he  could  scarcely  speak.     And  if  brother 

P happened   to    come    in    during   his   meeting  his 

bonds  were  endless.  The  only  difference  that  I  can  see 
between  us  is  that  he  says  :  'Sit  still  and  believe,  and  it 
will  come  to  pass ';  while  I  say,  'Up  and  be  doing  while 


*  "  Bonds  "  or  "  bondage  "  in  Hannington's  vocabulary  always 
meant  want  of  freedom  in  speaking,  praying,  or  preaching.  He 
was  "in  bondage"  when  anything  weighed  upon  his  spirits  or 
prevented  him  from  launching  himseh'  unrestrainedly  into  his 
subject. 


JEx..2g.]  Engaged  to  be  Married.  153 

you  believe.'  ....  I  must  say  I  enjgy  the  uphill,  strug- 
gling path  most  of  all." 

Hannington  was  present,  after  this,  at  more  than  one 
Conference.  He  was  in  perfect  sympathy  with  the  aims 
of  the  good  and  holy  men  who  spoke  at  the  meetings 
alluded  to  above.  Their  teaching  was  the  daily  practice 
of  his  life.  But  he  was  essentially  a  man  of  active, 
fighting  faith,  and  some  of  the  disciples,  in  preaching 
what  was  then  regarded  as  a  new  doctrine,  no  doubt 
went  beyond  their  masters,  and  exaggerated  their  gospel 
of  a  restful  life  into  a  repudiation  of  that  uphill  strug- 
gle which  Hannington  knew  to  be  a  very  practical 
thing. 

"Jan.  1st,  1877. — The  New  Year  breaks  in  upon  me. 
How  ?  How  ?  Under  a  new  epoch  I  am  engaged  to  be 
married.  I,  who  have  always  been  supposed,  and  have 
supposed  myself,  to  be  a  confirmed  bachelor,  cross, 
crabbed,  ill-conditioned  !  What  a  change  in  the  appear- 
ance of  everything  does  this  make  !  It,  however,  seems 
to  fill  me  with  the  things  of  this  world,  and  to  make 
me  cold  and  dead.  Lord  Jesus,  grant  that  we  may  love 
Thee  each  succeeding  hour  more  abundantly.  Amen, 
amen." 

So  Hannington  commences  his  diary  for  the  year 
1877.  The  allusion  to  an  approaching  marriage  is  ex- 
plained by  another  entry  which  occurs  shortly  before  : 

"Dec.  26th. — Proposed  to  Blanche  Hankin-Turvin,  and 
was  accepted." 

Miss  Hankin-Turvin  was  the  second  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain James  Michael  Hankin-Turvin,  formerly  of  Terlings 
Park,  Gilston,  Hertfordshire.    She  and  her  mother  were 
at  this  time  residing  at  Leacrofts,  Hurstpierpoint,  and 
7* 


154  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1877. 

were  in  the  habit  .of  attending  St.  George's  Chapel. 
Hannington  had  from  the  first  recognized  Miss  Hankin- 
Turvin's  fitness  for  the  duties  of  a  clergyman's  wife,  and 
admired  her  sterling  qualities  and  earnestness  of  char- 
acter. This  before  he  had  any  intention  of  giving  up 
his  independence  as  a  bachelor.  He  was  not  one  of 
those  men  who  are  dependent  upon  the  ministrations  of 
women.  He  was  complete  in  himself,  handy  and  help- 
ful, quite  capable  of  managing  his  own  household. 
Full  of  ways  and  habits  of  his  own,  too,  which  he  was 
aware  might  not  commend  themselves  to  any  wife.  His 
heart,  moreover,  was  not  disengaged;  his  work  was  his 
wife;  in  a  very  real  sense  he  was  wedded  to  it.  He 
scrutinized  jealously  any  other  affection  which  threat- 
ened to  make  an  exacting  demand  upon  his  time  and 
attention. 

He  was,  however,  beginning  to  discover  that  a  bach- 
elor clergyman  is  subject  to  certain  disadvantages  from 
which  his  married  brother  is  free.  He  is  liable  to  an- 
noyances and  hindrances  well  known  to  every  popular 
celibate.  He  may  easily  find  himself  in  positions  of 
much  awkwardness  and  difficulty.  He  was  not  able  to 
avail  himself  of  opportunities  of  access  to  certain  classes 
of  people  to  whom  he  would  have  had  ready  entrance  as 
husband  and  father.  He  had  also  convinced  himself,  by 
observation  of  other  married  couples,  that  a  wife  who 
was  like-minded  with  her  husband  might  be  to  him  the 
most  effective  help  in  his  work  that  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  obtain. 

When  these  experiences  coincided  with  his  own  strong 
inclination,  and  added  force  to  the  pleadings  of  his 
heart,  he  delayed  no  longer,  but,  as  we  have  seen,  pro- 
posed to  a  lady  whom  he  had  every  reason  to  believe 
would  satisfy  his  most  exacting  requirements. 


JEt.  29.]  J^ts  Marriage.  155 

In  this  he  was  not  disappointed.  His  wife  became  his 
second  self.  She  entered  with  all  her  steadfast  heart 
and  soul  into  his  many  works.  She  softened  in  him 
what  needed  to  be  softened,  strengthened  him  to  perse- 
vere when  she  saw  that  he  was  down-hearted,  encour- 
aged him  in  his  favorite  scientific  pursuits,  bore  with  a 
bright  and  gentle  patience  those  vagaries  of  his  which 
might  have  proved  a  severe  trial  to  one  less  wise  than 
herself,  submitted  to  be  teased  with  unvarying  good 
humor,  never  let  him  feel  that  he  was  reined  in,  curbed, 
or  hampered,  exacted  no  demonstrations  of  affection 
from  him  other  than  he  freely  gave,  ever  quietly  help- 
ing, never  complaining  or  obtruding  selfish  wants  of  her 
own  to  hinder  him  from  making  any  sacrifice,  she  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  greatest  blessing  which  God  has  in 
store  for  a  man  in  this  world — a  good  wife. 

"  So  these  were  wed,  and  merrily  rang  the  bells." 

The  marriage  was  celebrated  on  Febi'uary  the  loth  in 
the  parish  church.  The  service  was  choral.  Five  cler- 
gjrmen,  including  the  Rector  and  Mr.  Bell  Hankin,  as- 
sisted at  the  ceremony.  The  church  was  crowded  from 
end  to  end,  all  Hannington's  own  flock  who  were  able 
being  present  to  witness  the  act.  He  and  his  bride  made 
their  way  through  a  long  lane  of  warm-hearted  and  en- 
thusiastic friends  to  their  carriage.  With  his  character- 
istic love  of  making  himself  out  to  be  as  odd  as  possible, 
he  writes  :  "  I  walked  down  to  church  with  my  umbrella, 
and  called  in  as  usual  at  Mr.  Mitten's.  In  the  vestry  I 
remarked  that  if  ever  I  was  married  again  I  would  have 
another  choral  wedding,  and  finally  I  jumped  first  into 
the  carriage,  and  left  the  bride  to  follow  !  " 

The  first  letters  to  his  wife  were  written  four  or  five 
months  later.     These  letters  abound  with  the  peculiar 


156  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1877, 

pet  names  which  he  was  wont  to  bestow  upon  all  those 
for  Avhom  he  cared.  Some  of  these  were  in  sound  any- 
thing but  complimentary,  but  his  wife  and  his  friends 
knew  how  to  read  between  the  lines.  Those  to  his  wife 
commence  variously  :  "  My  dearest  Wifie,"  or  "  My  very 
dear  Bochim,"  "  My  dearest  Missus,"  "■  My  dear  Bellin- 
zona,"  and,  now  and  again,  *'  My  dearest  Heart's  Belov- 
ed." They  are  full  of  allusions  which  require  almost  a 
glossary  to  make  them  comprehensible  to  a  stranger. 
Hannington  had  a  vocabulary  of  his  own  which  was  ex- 
pressive enough  to  those  who  held  the  key  to  it. 

He  and  his  friend  May  spent  a  few  weeks  during  June 
in  the  Scilly  Islands.     From  there  he  writes  : 

"My  dearest, — It  has  been  a  great  relief  to  me  to 
think  to-day  that  you  have  heard  of  our  whereabouts. 
I  expect  day  after  day  Betsy  in  heat  and  dust  toiled  up 
and  got  a  thump  for  not  bringing  back  any  news.  How- 
ever, now  you  will  be  satisfied.  I  received  two  letters 
from  you  last  night,  one  with  the  news  of  poor  dear 
John's  death.  I  was  very  cut  up  about  it,  though  I 
ought  not  to  have  been,  for  it  was  a  wonderful  mercy. 
Trained  for  a  few  weeks  in  the  school  of  affliction,  and 
then  taken  home  to  Glory.  You  may  tell  Mrs.  Parsons, 
if  you  will,  that  I  hope  to  preach  a  funeral  sermon  on 
the  Sunday  evening  after  my  return,  that  is  July  15th,  if 
nothing  prevents. 

"Things  are  going  on  very  smoothly  here  with  us. 
The  weather  is  excellent.  The  Botany  first-rate,  and 
the  Beetles  moderately  good.  There  are  fewer  than 
anybody  might  expect,  though  I  have  taken  several  ; 
quite  enough  to  occupy  my  spare  moments.  Yesterday 
Mr.  Atkin  took  us  over  to  the  island  of  St.  Agnes.  We 
met  there  two   celebrated   old   botanists.     I   addressed 


JEt.  2g.'\  Letters  to  his   Wife.  157 

them  :  'Are  you  Mr.  Ralfs  ? '  '  Yes.'  '  Are  you  Mr.  Cur- 
now  ? '  'Yes.  However  do  you  know  us?'  'Mitten,' 
said  I.  '  Are  jw^  Mitten  ? '  '  No,' I  replied.  '  Oh,  dear, 
what  a  pity  ! '  said  they.  I  told  them  that  Mitten  had 
asked  me  to  call  upon  them,  and  we  got  on  very  well 
together,  and  they  pointed  out  Arthrolobium  Ebrac, 
Trif.,  Suffoc,  Glom.,  and  a  new  Lavatera  that  Ralfs  had 
just  found.  I  cannot  be  too  thankful  for  this  pleasant 
change,  and  only  wish  that  you  were  a  more  scamble- 
inous  Tomboy.* 

"And  now  for  one  anecdote.  A  man  showed  us  the 
way  up  to  our  hotel  when  we  arrived — our  two  selves 
and  two  medical  men.  The  landlady,  meeting  him  at 
the  door,  said,  'How  many  have  you  brought?'  'Four, 
Mum.'    'Any  ladies?'     'No.'     '  Oh,  thank  goodness  I  !! ' 

"  After  this  we  dined  very  comfortably  together. 

"  My  kindest  love  to  my  dear  Ma.     I  hope  you  have 
not  been  frightened.     A  thousand  kisses  from 
"Your  very  affectionate 

"  Husband." 

His  diary  supplements  the  above  allusion  to  the  two 
botanists  : 

'^/uly  ^th. — Explored  St.  Martin's.  Met  again  the  old 
gentlemen  whom  the  boatmen  contemptuously  describe 
as  old  herbalists,  and  told  us  that  one  poisoned  himself 
last  year,  and  it  took  all  the  doctors  in  Penzance  to  set 
him  right  !     Found  them  gathering  Ophiog  :   Lusitan. 

"  ^th. — Sailed  to  Western  Islands.  Landed  on  Gorre- 
gan  in  search  of  greater  black-back  gulls.  The  Schiller 
was  wrecked  near  these  rocks  ;  and  what  a  hideous  mass 
of  rocks  it  is  !     On  every  side  you  see  ugly  black  heads 

*  Mrs.  Hannington  was  not  then  strong  enough  to  accompany 
her  husband. 


158  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1877. 

peeping  up.     They  require  the  pen  of  Virgil  to  describe 
them. 

'■'■  wth. — Left  Penzance  with  F.  G.  May.  I  secured  a 
carriage  by  putting  an  umbrella  in  the  corner.  On  my 
return,  I  found  that  an  old  lady  and  gentleman,  without 
observing  my  umbrella,  had  taken  my  seat.  Presently 
the  old  lady  said,  *  My  dear,  that  is  an  umbrella  behind 
you.'  It  was  produced  and  carefully  examined.  *  Most 
miserable  old  thing  !  give  it  to  the  guard.'  *I  beg  your 
pardon,'  I  intervened  ;  'that  is  mine.'  " 

On  Nov.  8th  he  writes  :  "  Paid  a  visit  to  Darley  Abbey, 
and  stayed  with  Miss  Evans,  *  the  Clerical  Hotel  of  the 
Midland  Counties.'  The  dear  old  lady  seems  much  the 
same.  She  is  now  about  ninety-one  years  old.  The 
servants  show  their  age  more  than  their  mistress." 

The  end  of  November  found  him  in  Atwick,  where  he 
and  his  brother  Joseph  conducted  a  short  Mission.  He 
wi'ites  : 

"  My  dearest  Wifie, — To  begin  at  the  beginning,  I 
had  better  go  back  again  to  Darley.  I  found  things  in 
rather  a  sad  plight — such  a  number  of  backsliders 
among  the  young  people — and  I  could  not  get  to  see 
any  of  them  ;  they  kept  out  of  my  way.  I  stopped  over 
Friday,  and  had  a  nice  meeting  of  old  friends  in  the 
evening,  just  about  forty,  but  all  believers.  Rhoda  just 
been  pushed  in  ;  but  it  won't  do,  I  expect. 

"  I  met  Jos  at  Hull,  and  came  on  to  Atwick  with  him  ; 
we  had  a  prayer-meeting  to  begin  with.  Only  two  or 
three  came.  I  was  very  tired,  and  spoke  very  feebly. 
Jos  had  got  on  a  mackintosh,  in  which  he  rustled  and 
fidgeted  so  incessantly,  the  men  who  prayed  shrieked  so 
terrifically,  that  I  burst  out  into  one  hysterical  giggling 
fit — fortunately  not  visibly.     But  what  an  awful  begin- 


2^h.  y>.]  An  Invitation.  159 

ning  !  I  was  very  much  cast  down.  Sunday  morning, 
full  of  doubts  and  fears,  but  was  enabled  to  speak  more 

at  liberty  than  I  have  ever  been  before Rhoda 

squeezed  in  by  Jos,  but,  of  course,  I  can't  receive.*  .... 
I  am  in  bondage  still,  and  the  more  so  as  Jos  keeps  me 
laughing  nearly  all  day  with  his  wonderful  sayings  and 

remarks We   hope   Rhoda  will   do.      Everybody 

receives  readily  but  myself,  and  you  know  I  am  always 

rather  unready  to  receive I  need  not  tell  you  both 

to  pray — you  are  doing  that. 

"  Your  very,  very,  very,  very  affectionate 

'*  Husband." 

In  his  diary  he  writes  :  "A  man  turned  up  from  an- 
other parish,  and  walked  all  round  the  neighborhood, 
literally  compelling  the  people  to  come  in.  Each  ser- 
vice saw  more  and  more,  with  a  small  but  yet  very 
blessed  result.  God  be  praised  for  even  one  !  Oh,  the 
value  of  one  soul  !  it  is  priceless." 

I  find  a  letter  at  this  time  from  the  Rev.  J.  Dawson, 
who  had  left  Darley  Abbey,  and  was  then  Vicar  of  St. 
Peter's,  Clifton,  inviting  Hannington  to  take  part  in  a 

*  This  word  "  receive  "  was  one  of  Hannington's  own  vocabu- 
lary. He  was  always  very  cautious  of  accepting  or  "receiving"  a 
person  as  a  saved  soul  upon  the  bare  profession  of  faith  in  Christ. 
He  liked  to  wait  for  the  proof  in  the  changed  life.  His  brother  Jo- 
seph would  rush  in  triumphantly  asserting,  "  Such  an  one  is  saved, 
or  is  at  liberty."  To  whom  James  would  reply,  "  Hush,  Jos,  I  can't 
receive  in  such  a  hurry."  This  was  especially  the  case  when  the 
two  brothers  were  working  together,  as  in  this  instance.  The  Rhoda 
referred  to  is  an  old  servant  who  has  been  nearly  thirty  years  in  the 
service  of  the  family.  She  had  been  often  prayed  for  and  pleaded 
with,  but  remained  spiritually  dead.  During  this  Mission  she  was 
brought  to  the  Saviour.  Though  Hannington  feared  to  "  receive  " 
her  precipitately,  her  case  proved  to  be  a  real  and  abiding  one — 
much  to  the  joy  of  the  whole  family. 


i6o  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  187. 

Mission  to  be  held  in  his  church  in  February  of  the  en- 
suing year.     He  says  : 

"  We  shall  want  James.  We  can't  do  without  him.  It 
won't  be  like  a  Mission  without  him,  so  he  must  come." 

On  Sunday,  the  2d  of  December,  his  first  child  was 
born  ;  and  on  the  6th  of  January,  1878,  was  baptized  by 
his  father  under  the  name  of  James  Edward  Meopham. 
In  his  diary  he  writes  :  "I  never  seemed  to  enter  into 
the  Service  so  much  as  to-day  :  *  Thine  forever,  God  of 
love.  Hear  us  from  Thy  throne  above.  Thine  forever 
may  we  be,  Here  and  in  eternity.'" 

'■^  Ja?i.  \2th. — Saw  Mrs.  P.  H.'s  housekeeper.  Dying 
of  cancer,  and  now  sinking  very  fast.  God,  I  fully  be- 
lieve, has  used  me  here.  She  could  not  speak,  but  knew 
me.  When  I  said,  'Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,' 
the  dying  face  lighted  up  with  joy.  *  We  shall  meet 
again,'  I  added.  She  pointed  upwards  with  really 
solemn  majesty." 

On  the  2ist  of  January,  1878,  Hannington  took  part 
in  the  Birmingham  Mission.  The  following  was  his  first 
letter  to  his  wife  : 

"  My  dearest  Lily, — I  hope  you  arrived  safely  at 
your  Ma's  on  Monday  afternoon,  and  that  you,  old  Ma, 
and  Squaliner  Grub  *  are  all  quite  well. 

"  I  am  thankful  to  say  that  I  arrived  in  Birmingham 
quite  safely.  No  adventures  on  the  journey  of  any  kind 
whatever.  On  my  arrival  at  the  Vicarage,  I  found  that 
I  was  to  stay  with  a  friend  ;  and  so,  after  some  dinner, 
I  was  received  by  an  admirable  widow  lady,  and  was 
presently  shown  into  a  bedroom  as  large,  I  should  say, 
as  my  father's.     Four  gas  brackets  flaring  ;  a  fire  large 

*  The  baby ! 


JEt.  30.]  Birmingham  Mission.  161 

enough  to  roast  an  ox  ;  table,  chairs,  sofa,  etc.,  etc.  ;  in 
fact,  everything  to  make  me  comfortable.  At  seven 
o'clock  I  was  fetched  by  the  Vicar  to  go  to  the  Mission 
Hall.  Alas  !  alas  !  my  heart  rather  sunk  when  we  ar- 
rived :  an  empty  room,  and  various  signs  of  a  certain 
dry  Churchism.  However,  after  a  bit,  the  room  began 
to  fill  ;  but  I  could  see  at  once  the  way  had  not  been  pre- 
pared. However,  I  preached  with  liberty,  and  had  an 
after-meeting,  and  tried  to  get  them  to  stop.  The  Lord 
directed  me  to  one  soul  ;  as  far  as  I  could  see,  a  genuine 
case.  I  think  that  there  might  have  been  more,  but  the 
organist  got  up  directly  I  said  that  I  should  now  speak 
to  any  souls  who  were  anxious,  and  that  the  rest  might 
go,  and  said  that  there  would  be  a  choir  practice  ! 

"  I  never  heard  such  a  thing  in  my  life.  It  is  uphill 
work,  I  foresee.  However,  we  must  just  go  forward,  ex- 
pecting a  great  blessing,  and  I  really  cannot  but  think 
that  it  will  be  so. 

"  Kindest  love  to  your  Ma,  and  your  dear  old  self. 
"  I  remain  your  very  affectionate 

"  Husband." 

The  diary  has  some  references  to  the  above  Mission  : 

"  Sadly  interrupted  by  a  huge,  tipsy  man  wedged  into 
the  middle  of  a  crammed  meeting.  Nevertheless,  the 
Lord  gave  me  immense  power,  so  that  I  held  them  to- 
gether in  spite  of  intense  interruption.  But  the  strain 
was  so  great  that  I  afterwards  burst  into  tears." 

"  A  man  professed  to  be  in  difficulty  because  he  had 
been  told  that  God  came  from  Teman*  (Hab.  iii.  3)." 


*  Those  who  have  worked  among  the  illiterate  poor  will  not  be 
surprised  at  this  entr}-.  It  is  amazing  at  what  strange  difficulties 
they  are  often  stumbled.  I  have  myself  met  with  laboring  men 
who  were  also  unable  to  surmount  this  verse  about  God  coming 


1 62  James  Haniiington.  [A.D.  1878. 

"A  most  interesting  case  ;  a  young  man  named • 

kept  me  up  till  11.30  p.m." 

Altogether,  Hannington's  part  in  the  Birmingham 
Mission  of  1878  seems  to  have  been  a  blessed  one,  and 
his  name  will  be  remembered  by  not  a  few  in  that  town. 

^^  Feb.  <,th. — From  a  passage  I  read  relating  to  the 
experience  of  Moody,  I  have  been  led  to  cry  earnestly  to 
be  much  more  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  have  long 
felt  that  my  ministry,  my  life,  my  conversation,  lacks 
unction.     Thou  wilt  fill  me,  O  my  God  !  " 

'^  Feb.  i^th. — I  pray,  and  keep  praying,  for  the  Holy 
Spirit." 

from  Teman  !  This  was  in  Surrey.  There  are  certain  stock  diffi- 
culties which  appear  to  perplex  certain  classes  of  minds.  The  fol- 
lowing is  an  example  of  such  another :  Once,  when  fishing  off 
Hastings,  the  boatman  put  to  us  this  question  :  "  Whovi  did  Cain 
viarryi"  Many  years  afterwards,  when  visiting  the  Infirmary  of 
the  Farnham  Workhouse,  I  was  brought  into  contact  with  a  tramp 
who  was  dying  of  dropsy.  During  a  somewhat  long  illness  I  at- 
tended him  very  closely.  He  was  almost  as  ignorant  as  a  heathen. 
The  elementary  facts  of  the  life  of  our  Lord  had  to  be  imparted  to 
him  as  to  an  infant.  But  what  he  heard  he  received  with  the  sim- 
plicity of  a  child.  He  seemed  gratefully  to  accept  Christ  and  His 
Salvation.  One  morning,  when  I  asked  him  how  he  had  passed 
the  night,  he  made  this  wonderful  reply  :  "  I  was  in  awful  pain,  and 
sweat  all  night.  I  thought  the  morning  would  never  come.  But 
oh  !  I  thought  to  myself  /  /^(s:^  7iever  yet  sweat  blood."  At  last  the 
end  drew  near.  He  was  lying  still  and  almost  without  power  of 
speech.  His  lips  seemed  to  move,  and  I  bent  down  my  head  to 
catch  his  words.  He  painfully  raised  his  arm,  and  drew  down  my 
ear  close  to  his  mouth.  I  listened  with  all  my  might,  and  these 
were  the  words  I  heard  slowly  and  with  difficulty  uttered  :  "  Caii — 
yoic — tell — me — who — did — Caifi — marry  ?  "  I  was,  I  confess, 
startled.  But  to  his  simple  mind  the  difficulty  was  a  real  one — a 
last  temptation  whispered  into  his  soul  to  make  him  doubt  the  great 
Salvation.  So  I  gently  explained  as  best  I  could,  and,  satisfied 
with  the  reply,  he  closed  his  eyes  and  died  in  peace. — Ed. 


jEt.  30.]  Aix-les-Bains.  163 

About  this  time  he  caught  a  very  severe  cold,  which 
developed  into  an  attack  of  rheumatism,  by  which  he 
was  completely  disabled,  and  confined  to  house  and  bed. 
The  doctors,  finding  that  the  usual  treatment  failed, 
recommended  a  course  of  baths  at  Aix-les-Bains,  and  a 
*   short  residence  abroad. 

With  his  mother-in-law,  to  whom  he  was  greatly 
attached,  to  take  charge  of  him,  he  sailed  on  May  21st, 
and  remained  abroad  for  two  months.  His  unsparing 
expenditure  of  himself  in  his  work  had  thoroughly  ex- 
hausted his  vitality,  and  it  was  only  by  slow  degrees 
that  he  recovered  his  usual  elasticity  of  body  and  mind. 
He  amused  himself,  and  kept  his  mind  from  altogether 
stagnating,  by  compiling  a  book  of  rhymes  for  the  chil- 
dren, in  which  his  own  adventures,  and  those  of  his 
poor  mother-in-law,  were  mercilessly  caricatured  and  de- 
scribed. The  latter  is  always  depicted  in  a  monstrous 
coal-scuttle  bonnet,  and  portrayed  in  every  imaginable 
funniest  predicament.  Her  son-in-law  was  a  terrible 
compagnon  de  voyage  for  a  person  who  was  sensitive  about 
appearing  afterwards  in  pen  and  ink.  About  himself 
and  his  baths,  he  writes  to  his  wife  : 

"My  dearest  Heart's  Beloved, —  ....  Ma  has 
told  you  all  about  snow  mountains  and  nightingales, 
and  the  old  gentleman  whom  she  took  for  a  commer- 
cial traveller,  and  couldn't   bear,  and  who  turned   out 

to  be  Lord  Charles ,  and  then  she  found  out  how 

exceedingly  interesting  his  anecdotes  were  !  So  I  must 
pass  on  to  give  you'  a  little  idea  of  the  baths.  As 
we  take  them  daily,  I  am  getting  quite  learned.  You 
get  up  and  dress  lightly  at  a  few  minutes  before 
eight.  Then,  at  the  establishment,  you  are  seated  on  a 
wooden  stool,  and  two  jets  of  hot  water  are  let  fly  at 


164  James  Hamiington.  [A.D.  1878, 

you;  the  man  asking  *  Est-ce  bon  ? '  meaning,  Is  the 
water  too  hot  or  too  cold  ?  And  if  you  object,  and  say  : 
'  I — i — i — t — s — s — b — boiling  !  '  he  says  :  'JVon,  c'est  bon.' 
He  then  begins  to  rub  and  pinch  you  from  head  to  foot, 
after  which  he  lightly  rubs  you  with  a  towel,  and  then 
rings  a  bell.  At  this  two  men  appear  with  a  hooded 
chair,  in  which  is  laid  a  blanket.  You  enter,  and  are 
swaddled  up  tight  like  a  mummy,  so  tight  that  you  can't 
move.  You  are  told  to  lean  well  back,  and  off  you  go, 
full  tilt,  to  your  hotel.  Starting  from  the  baths  you  go 
down  a  steep  flight  of  stairs  ;  the  curtains  are  drawn  in 
front  so  that  you  cannot  see,  and  you  can't  move  hand 
or  foot,  and  you  feel  inclined  to  scream  to  the  men  to 
tell  them  you  are  going  to  pitch  on  your  head.  One 
morning,  as  I  arrived  near  my  hotel,  a  conversation  took 
place  between  Fanchette,  the  maid,  and  my  men.  *  Who 
have   you    got    there?'    said    she.     'Number    Fifteen.' 

'  Fifteen  !     Why,  she .'     *  'Tisn't  s/ie;  it's  /le.'     '  He  ! 

Then  it's  Fourteen'  I  had  told  them  the  wrong  number, 
and  narrowly  escaped  being  carried  into  a  lady's  room  ! 
Arriving  at  the  hotel,  you  have  to  be  got  up-stairs,  which 
is  a  somewhat  difficult  process,  and  rather  trying  to  the 
nerves.  The  curtains  are  then  drawn  back,  and  you  are 
taken  up  by  the  shoulders  and  feet,  and  lifted  like  a 
mummy  into  bed.  There  you  have  to  lie  for  about  half 
an  hour,  to  produce  a  re-action,  when  your  housemaid, 
who  is  a  man,  comes  and  unmummies  you.  I  hope  that, 
after  a  bit,  I  shall  be  better,  but  there  are  not  many  signs 
yet." 

Alpine  air,  however,  and  rest  of  body  and  mind,  soon 
began  to  tell.  On  July  21st  he  accepted  a  proposal  to 
preach  at  Pontresina.  "I  did  so  to  see  how  I  stood  it. 
I  preached  from  Isaiah  liii.  6,  to  a  small,  but  breathlessly 


Mt.  30.]  Popular  in  the  Nursery.  165 

altentive  congregation."  Ten  days  later  he  was  back 
once  more  at  Hurst,  and  ready  to  renew  the  fray. 

His  note  is  :  "Reached  England  and  Home,  finding  all 
well,  and  my  precious  son  much  grown." 

One  of  Hannington's  favorite  fictions  with  regard  to 
himself  was  that  he  had  no  patience  with  children,  espe- 
cially babies.  "  O,  my  gracious;  there's  that  baby  again," 
he  would  say  to  the  indignant  mother,  when  his  latest 
arrivv^d  nephew  or  niece  was  brought  in  for  his  inspec- 
tion ;  or  when  paying  a  visit  to  another  sister-in-law, 
whose  husband  he  was  about  to  join  in  some  distant 
Mission  work,  "  Well,  now,  I  suppose  I  must  see  the 
baby "  (with  an  indescribable  intonation  on  the  word 
baby),  "  or  its  father  will  be  asking  me  questions  about 
it  which  I  can't  answer."  But  whatever  the  mothers 
may  have  thought  of  this  profession  of  indifference  to 
their  offspring,  the  children  themselves  were  not  to  be  so 
deceived.  They  knew  better.  No  one  was  more  popular 
in  the  nursery  than  Uncle  James.  The  very  children  in 
the  village  would  creep  up  close  to  him  and  beg  for 
bull's-eyes  as  he  passed.  And  as  for  babies,  he  loved  as 
much  as  many  another  man  to  feel  their  soft  little  fingers 
clasp  around  his  own — when  no  one  was  looking.  In  a 
letter  to  his  wife,  he  writes  of  the  baby  of  the  day  :  "  You 
may  h'ss  his  little  dear  face  for  me."  A  man  who  did  not 
love  children  never  wrote  such  an  expression  as  that. 
"  His  little  dear  face  !  "  The  baby-face  must  have  been 
in  his  mind,  all  dimpled  and  soft  and  fresh  for  a  kiss, 
when  he  wrote  the  words.* 

*  Several  years  later,  after  his  consecration  to  the  Bishopric, 
while  narrating  some  of  his  African  experiences  to  a  congregation 
at  Bath,  he  made  the  following  statement,  than  which  I  cannot 
recall  any  more  touching  in  its  tender  simplicity : 

"  When  far  inland,  the  mail  comes  in  but  once  a  month.     Its 


1 66  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1878. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  diary  may  be  given  : 

^''  Sept.  12th. — Visiting  one  of  my  parishioners,  I  was 
asked  if  God  were  alive  before  Jesus  Christ,  who  Paul 
was,  and  who  the  Israelites  were  !  "  An  ignorance  not 
so  unusual  as  some  might  suppose.  "Visited  old  Mrs. 
Sayers,  who  lives  Vv^ith  two  unmarried  sons.  She  is 
ninety  ;  they  both  over  sixty.  She  said  :  '  I  boxed  Joe's 
ears  the  other  day,  and  sent  him  up  to  bed,  as  the  boy 
was  troublesome.  There,'  she  said,  'I  forgot  they  are 
growing  up.' " 

"  Mr.  Dear  has  left  me  his  Jansenist  engravings  and 
books  ;  I  became  intensely  interested  in  them." 

The  reading  of  these  books  seems  to  have  revealed 
to  Hannington  the  fact  that  high-souled  purpose  and 
true  spirituality  of  mind  are  to  be  found  among  men  who 
belong  to  widely  differing  schools  of  thought.  He  found 
much  in  the  writings  of  Pascal  and  the  Port-Royalists 
that  delighted  him.  He  could  not  but  recognize  that 
they  too  had  been  taught  of  God.  He  says  :  "  I  think 
that  many  of  my  opinions  were  slightly  modified,  and 
my  sympathies  were  enlarged." 

"Very  much  exercised  about  preaching  the  same  truths 

arrival  is  heralded  by  two  g-un-shots,  fired  in  quick  succession.  No 
matter  what  one  may  be  doing,  he  leaves  his  occupation,  and 
hurries  forward  to  get  a  sight  of  his  precious  letters.  There  would 
be  some,  perhaps,  from  my  brothers,  some  from  friends,  always 
one  from  my  wife.  But  once  there  was  one  which,  when  I  saw  the 
handwriting,  I  opened  first.  It  was  on  a  bare  half-sheet  of  paper, 
the  lines  running  this  way  and  that  way ;  tumbled  and  soiled  ;  but 
that  one  letter  I  read  first,  and  treasured  above  all  the  others.  // 
was  from  my  dear  little  son,  TiXi^S.  contained  but  two  lines:  'My 
dear  Father, — God  bless  you.'  These  few  words  received  by  me 
in  the  wilds  of  Africa  were  more  precious  than  many  a  longer 
letter." 


JEt.  31.]  A   Christmas  Party.  167 

Sunday  after  Sunday.  My  mind  was  afterwards  directed 
to  a  doctor  who  uses  the  same  medicines  for  the  same 
diseases  all  the  year  round  ;  and,  again,  to  the  fact  that 
we  eat  and  drink  the  same  things  day  after  day  and 
year  after  year." 

On  November  23d  he  conducted  a  mission  at  D . 


"  Tremendous  cautions  about  what  I  was  to  do,  and  what 
not  to  do.  Above  all  things  not  to  be  excitable.  I  was 
shown  the  church,  and  went  up  into  the  pulpit.  I  took 
hold  of  it  with  a  strong  hand,  to  try  whether  the  desk 
and  sides  would  stand  much  knocking  about.  I  per- 
ceived, to  my  intense  amusement,  that  all  this  was  care- 
fully noted,  and  produced  a  feeling  of  terror  as  to  what 
I  v/as  going  to  do  when  I  preached  ;  and  many  further 
hints  were  given." 

^'Dec.  26th. — Gave  a  Christmas  party  to  men,  to  keep 
drunkards  out  of  the  public-house.  About  sixty  came. 
After  prayer  and  hymns  we  spent  the  evening  in  looking 
at  books,  microscope,  and  magic  lantern." 

"Jan.  1st,  1879. — I  make  no  resolutions  for  the  coming 
year.  I  pray  for  more  earnestness,  more  love,  more  dili- 
gence, greater  regularity,  and  entire  consecration  to  the 
service  of  the  Lord." 

"  On  Christmas  Day  old  W.  D.  was  converted,  to  the 
test  of  my  belief,  by  the  reading  of  the  Collect,  Epistle, 
and  Gospel." 

"  i$th. — The  Rector  has  decided  to  have  a  Mission, 
and  I  have  written  to  Ernest  Boys." 

"  2ird. — Brighton,  to  meet  the  Bishop  on  the  question 
of  the  Mission.  Praise  God,  the  Bishop  has  helped  us 
much." 

"Mar.  1st. — Mission  commenced.     The  Bishop  admin 
istered  the  Holy  Communion  to  the  workers,  and  in  the 


1 68  James  Harming  ton.  [A.D.  1879. 

afternoon  gave  a  splendid  address,  full  of  Evangelical 
truth."  "All  through  the  Mission  the  services  were 
densely  crowded.  On  Sunday  evening  every  corner  of 
the  church  was  packed,  and  many  went  away." 

"■Mar.  i^t/i. — Called  on  Arthur  Garbett.  He  told 
me  that  the  archdeacon  was  dying,  but  transcendently 
peaceful." 

"April  gth. — Introduced  to  Canon  Garbett,  who 
preached  at  the  parish  church.  A  splendid  disquisition, 
but  far  above  the  heads  of  a  country  congregation." 

^^ April  i2>^h. — Easter  Day.  Piercingly  cold,  and  ground 
covered  with  snow,  which  contrasted  strangely  with  the 
Easter  decorations.     58  communicants." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HOME    MISSION    WORK    AND    PERSONAL    DIARY    {conttttued). 

(1879—82.)        . 

"But,  good  my  brother, 

Do  not,  as  some  ungracious  pastors  do, 

Show  me  the  steep  and  thorny  way  to  heaven, 

Whilst,  like  a  puft  and  careless  libertine, 

Himself  the  primrose  path  of  dalliance  treads. 

And  recks  not  his  own  rede." 

Shakespeare. 

Mr.  Scriven  came  to  Hurstpierpoint  in  May  of  1879, 
and  spent  some  time  with  Hannington,  during  which 
they  made  together  some  interesting  architectural  tours 
in  the  neighborhood.  Mr.  Scriven  is  an  enthusiastic 
architect,  and  he  found  in  his  former  pupil  an  untiring 
and  intelligent  listener.  Everything  of  this  sort  inter- 
ested Hannington.  He  was  full  of  information  obtained 
by  his  acquisitive  mind,  and  stored  up  by  a  retentive 
memory  in  the  course  of  his  wanderings.  His  knowl- 
edge of  folklore,  of  the  geological  peculiarities,  of  the 
flora  and  fauna,  and  of  the  local  traditions  of  almost 
every  place  through  which  he  had  passed,  made  him  the 
best  of  companions. 

He  returned  with  Mr.  Scriven  as  far  as  Sherborne, 
where  the  two  visited  the  Abbey  Church,  and,  being 
joined  by  his  old  friend  and  fellow  cliff-climber  and 
egg-hunter,  Mr.  F.  May,  crossed  over  to  Lundy  Island 
to  spend  there  his  summer  holiday. 

And  here  again  we  notice  how  in  the  midst  of  his  play 
Hannington  never  seems  to  have  forgotten  what  some 
8  (169) 


I/O  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1879. 

would  have  called  his  work.  The  business  of  seeking  to. 
influence  souls  in  behalf  of  Christ  was  apparently  never 
alien  to  any  of  his  moods.  His  diary  makes  it  abun- 
dantly clear  that  this  was  not  merely  the  work  of  his 
life,  but  the  delight  of  it.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  that 
to  talk  on  the  subject  of  religion  was  "talking  shop." 
It  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  to  him  to 
converse  about  th6se  truths  which  were  to  himself  as 
meat  and  drink.  In  the  midst  of  jottings  of  architect- 
ural trips  and  Lundy  Island  clamberings  we  find  such 
entries  as  the  following: 

"  The  Lord  has  led  me  to  speak  to  Harry  G.,  and  has 
brought  him  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Edwin  A., 
too,  has  been  gradually  led  to  believe  in  Jesus." 

There  are  some  excellent  persons  whose  society  be- 
comes oppressive,  and  their  conversation  a  source  of 
nervous  apprehension  to  everybody.  They  always  ap- 
pear to  be  lying  in  wait  for  an  opportunity.  Whatever 
may  be  the  theme  of  discussion,  whether  weighty  or 
light,  every  one  instinctively  knows  that  they  will  turn 
it  by  and  by  into  a  "  profitable  "  channel.  Their  com- 
panion for  the  time  being  is  made  to  feel  that  they  lie 
at  the  catch.  Whatever  he  may  say  will,  he  is  sure,  be 
used  as  a  handle  upon  which  to  fasten  some  argument 
which  makes  for  religion.  He  is  put  upon  the  defensive. 
These  good  people  are,  he  suspects,  only  affecting  to 
take  an  interest  in  his  sports,  pursuits,  opinions,  or  gen- 
eral affairs  in  order  that  they  may  bring  the  conversation 
round  to  the  "one  thing  needful,"  and  spring  upon  him 
the  question  whether  or  not  he  is  saved. 

Hannington  was  not  one  of  this  kind.  The  boys  never 
slipped  round  the  corner  when  they  saw  him  coming,  or 
trembled  when  they  found  that  they  were  committed  to 


/Et.  31.]  A   Man  among  Men.  171 

a  tete-a-tete  with  him,  lest  he  should  take  them  at  a  dis- 
advantage and  pin  them  with  some  question  which  they 
were  ill-disposed  to  contemplate  and  wholly  unprepared 
to  answer. 

At  Mission  times,  when  everybody  knew  what  to  ex- 
pect from  him,  he  would,  no  doubt,  endeavor,  both 
openly  and  by  strategy,  to  get  to  close  quarters  with 
the  consciences  of  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor.  A 
friend  might  even  find  himself  unceremoniously  pushed 
into  the  presence  of  the  Missioner  to  be  "  dealt  with." 
But,  as  a  rule,  Hannington  was  full  of  real  wisdom  in 
his  intercourse  with  the  world.  His  interest  in  the 
sports  of  the  lads  and  lassies  was  quite  sincere  and  un- 
affected ;  he  made  them  feel  that  he  was  a  big  boy  him- 
self, and  loved  fun  for  fun's  sake.  So  also  with  the  eld- 
ers, he  came  among  them  not  merely  as  a  prophet,  but 
as  a  man  to  whom  nothing  that  pertained  to  men  was 
indifferent. 

There  was  no  need  for  him  to  pull  in  the  subject  of 
religion,  as  it  were,  by  the  shoulders,  and  consciously 
and  painfully  lead  every  subject  of  conversation  up  to 
it.  All  his  life, — his  amusement  as  well  as  his  labor, — 
was  permeated  by  his  faith  in  the  Unseen. 

"  He  had  perceived  the  presence  and  the  power 
Of  Greatness  ;  and  deep  feeling  had  impressed 
Great  objects  on  his  mind,  with  portraiture 
And  color  so  distinct,  that  on  his  mind 
They  lay  like  substances,  and  almost  seemed 
To  haunt  the  bodily  sense."  * 

Thus  it  came  quite  naturally  to  him,  without  preachings 
to  speak  to  another  of  the  eternal  world,  and  of  that 
City  of  which  he  was  himself  a  citizen.     And  men,  too, 

^  Wordsworth. 


\J2  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1879. 

in  stress  of  soul,  would  come  to  him,  not  as  to  a  mentor 
but  as  to  a  brother,  who  having  passed  through  similar 
times  of  perplexity,  and  being  now  in  possession  of  the 
spiritual  blessing  after  which  they  sought,  could  help 
them  with  his  counsel. 

On  Lundy  Island  the  two  friends  proceeded  to  shake 
off  years  and  respectability,  and  to  behave  like  untamed 
school-boys  loosed  for  a  holiday.  In  one  of  his  letters 
home  he  says  : 

"We  are   not  failing    to    enjoy   ourselves We 

watch  the  tremendous  seas,  and,  like  young  children, 
venture  on  to  small  rocks  as  the  sea  is  coming  up,  and 
laugh  at  the  unlucky  wight  who  remains  too  long  and 
gets  splashed.  We  bathe  too.  The  other  day  I  was 
knocked  down  by  a  wave  and  bruised  my  knee.  Beetles 
are  rather  out  of  favor.  I  hope,  my  dear,  that  you  are 
quite  well,  and  have  not  disappointed  your  eyes  out 
over  the  various  posts  that  have  brought  no  letters. 
....  I  often  think  of  sweet  Gashum,  and  I  send  him 
and  you  the  most  tremendous  amount  of  kisses 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  the  rats  have  eaten  my  nailey  boots. 
Who  would  have  thought  of  it !  But  it  was  a  judgment ! 
Those  boots  have  been  nothing  but  troubh .  The  fact 
was  that  my  Pa  gave  them  to  me  to  give  away,  and  I 
appropriated  them  to  my  own  use  !  They've  leaked. 
They've  got  wet  and  refused  to  get  dry.  They've  been 
slippery  on  the  shore,  slippery  on  the  rocks.  I  was  car- 
rying them  through  a  jDool  of  water ;  a  wave  came,  and 
to  save  my  boots  I  lost  my  balance,  and  fell  and  hurt 
my  knee,  and  now  the  rats  !  yes,  the  rats.  Never  de- 
fraud the  poor  of  a  pair  of  boots  again  !  Perhaps  the 
boots  are  the  Jonahs  that  keep  us  bound  here.*     But  I 

*  The}'  were  detained  for  ten  days  beyond  their  time  by  rough 
weather,  during  which  no  boat  could  cross  from  the  mainland. 


^t.  3i]  Roughing  It.  173 

can't  give  them  away  now.  Whether  you  shall  send  the 
other  pair  by  Mr.  Mitten  or  not,  I  will  leave  until  \  land. 
Alas  !  that  will  not  be  to-day.  We  can  see  over  to  In- 
stow,  and  nothing  is  coming. 

"An  hour  or  two  later.  The  skiff  is  reported.  We 
are  in  the  greatest  glee.  So  good-bye.  A  thousand 
kisses,  and  many  to  dearest  little  Gashum." 

"  Gashum,"  of  course,  is  the  baby.  Why  so  called  I 
shall  not  be  rash  enough  to  attempt  to  guess,  but  Han- 
nington  nicknamed  all  those  whom  he  loved.  It  was  a 
special  mark  of  his  affection.  "  Gashum  "  is  mentioned 
in  all  the  letters  of  this  date  in  ever-varying  terms  of 
endearment.  In  another  sentence  he  says,  "  I  hope  dear 
little  baby  is  quite  Avell.  One  thing  I  am  quite  certain 
about,  and  that  is  that  he  does  not  miss  his  Gogum." 

From  Ilfracombe  these  two  walked  through  much  of 
North  Devon,  seeking  out  places  of  architectural  inter- 
est. When  they  arrived  at  Bude,  two  hot,  dusty,  and 
travel-stained  pedestrians,  without  a  decent  show  ot 
baggage  of  any  kind,  and  walked  up  to  the  hotel,  they 
v/ere  received  with  scant  civility.  Hannington  looked 
tramp-like  and  unpromising.  The  innkeeper  eyed  him 
and  was  not  cordial.  He  says,  "  This  amused  us  far 
more  than  if  we  had  been  received  as  great  men  in  dis- 
guise.    I  enjoy  seeing  every  side  of  life." 

Hannington  and  Mark  Tapley  would  have  been  birds 
of  one  feather.  But  it  is  certain  that  that  prince  of 
body-servants  would  not  have  remained  long  in  his  em- 
ploy. He  would  have  felt  that  there  was  no  room  for 
the  development  of  his  special  talent. 

The  diary  continues  : 

"July  21st. — Walked  to  Shermanbury.  The  church,  I 
am  told,  was  originally  the  squire's  stable,  and  I  can 


1/4  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1879. 

well  believe  it.  The  water  was  so  high  on  the  road  that 
I  had  to  wait  until  a  farmer  came  along  and  drove  me 
over,  but,  coming  back,  I  had  to  strip.  It  was  four  feet 
deep  on  the  road,  an  unknown  thing  in  the  middle  of 
summer." 

One  need  not  pity  him.  Had  he  had  to  swim  across 
with  his  clothes  on  his  head  he  would,  I  have  little 
doubt,  have  preferred  it. 

"  2%th. — Found  my  great-grandfather's  tomb  in  New 
Shoreham  Church." 

When  Hannington  returned  home  he  proceeded  to 
impart  to  his  young  men  some  of  the  architectural  lore 
which  he  had  acquired.  He  seldom  failed  in  quickly 
interesting  others  in  what  interested  himself.  On  the 
Bank  Holiday  he  took  a  party  of  them  to  Three  Bridges, 
and  showed  them  some  tine  old  churches.  He  says  : 
"My  young  Christians  take  a  very  intelligent  interest 
in  architecture,  scenery,  and  botany.  I  cannot  but  feel 
that  such  things  expand  their  mind.*' 

The  following  entry  occurs  for  August  8th  : 

"  Went  into  Brighton  to  hear  Dr.    many  of 

whose  sermons  1  have  read,  and  some  of  which  I  have 
admired.  But  why  did  I  go  to  hear  him!  He  was  about 
on  a  par  with  a  third-rate  actor.  I  was  wofully  disap- 
pointed ;  although,  after  I  got  over  the  roughness  of 
his  accent,  I  liked  him  better.  His  power  seems  to  lie 
in  his  voice.  If,  for  instance,  he  says  the  word  weeping, 
he  makes  the  word  weep  ;  but  I  am  sorry  that  I  heard 
him." 

On  August  26th  a  little  daughter  was  born,  whom  he 
named  Caroline  Scriven.     "  God  be  praised  for  all  His  , 
mercies  !  " 


^t.  32.]  Olla  Podrida.  175 

^^  Oct.  i^th. — Last  week  I  gave  notice  that  if  anybody- 
liked  to  bring  me  half  a  dozen  of  any  sort  of  vegetable, 
I  would  put  them  in  the  church  for  our  harvest  festival, 
and  on  Monday  send  them  to  London  to  be  distributed 
in  poor  districts.  The  response  has  been  far  beyond  my 
expectation.  Things  came  in  all  day,  and  on  Monday 
four  large  hampers  were  sent  to  Hambledon  of  Drury 
Lane  and  Fegan  of  Deptford."  * 

The  manner  in  which  he  recognized  the  direct  leading 
of  God  is  illustrated  by  the  following  : 

^^  Nov.  20th. — How  the  Lord  directs  our  paths  !  I  had 
said,  I  will  have  a  rest  this  afternoon,  and  then  some- 
thing said  to  me,  '  The  Lord  has  work  for  you  that  you 
do  not  know  of  yet.'  Dinner  was  half  an  hour  late, 
which  resulted  in  my  being  in  the  house  later  than 
usual,  and  receiving  an  immediate  summons  to  a  dying 
woman,  whom  I  pointed  to  the  Saviour." 

On  April  24,  1880,  Hannington  writes  : 

"  Ernest  Boys  arrived  for  a  revisiting  Mission.  The 
other  end  of  the  parish  has  received  him  coldly,  so  we 
at  St.  George's  opened  our  doors  and  received  a  blessing, 
although  there  was  nothing  of  great  external  interest  to 
record." 

^^ May  yd. — Got  hold  of  J.  Q.,  who  boldly  rejected  the 
Gospel." 

"  13//^. — Had  a  tremendous  rowing — I  can  call  it  noth- 

*  The  Parish  Magazine  of  the  Drury  Lane  Mission  Church  has 
the  following  reference  to  this  gift  :  "  The  congregation  of  St. 
George's  increase  their  offerings  to  the  poor  folk  of  our  Mission 
every  year.  All  honor  to  them  !  This  year  they  have  sent  us 
vegetables,  fruit,  and  tlowers.  We  simply  danced  for  joy  at  the 
sight  of  8  cwt.  of  choice  produce.  They  must  have  a  glorious  niin- 
ister  over  them,  for  '  Like  priest,  like  people.'  " 


176  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1880. 

ing  else — from  a  neighboring  clergyman,  the  root  of 
whose  grievance  was  that  one  of  his  parishioners  was 
converted  at  our  Mission." 

"  23;-^. — I  could  not  help  .noticing  the  curious  mix- 
ture in  our  congregation  to-day.  Two  Unitarians,  two 
Roman  Catholics,  Ritualists,  Wesleyans,  Calvinists,  a 
Quaker,  besides  Congregationalists  and  open  Plymouth 
Brethren." 

In  July,  Hannington  and  Mr.  Mitten,  the  botanist, 
started  together  to  spend  their  holidays  by  the  Lakes  of 
Killarney.  They  spent  their  time  hunting  for  mosses, 
much  to  their  mutual  satisfaction. 

On  Sunday,  the  i8th,  Hannington  preached  at  Bally- 
brach.  "It  struck  me,"  he  says,  "that  the  Saxon  was 
not  very  acceptable  to  anybody  except  the  Rev.  B.  An- 
derson, who  escaped  from  the  sound  of  his  own  voice. 
They  appeared  to  me  to  be  ready  to  hear  of  the  sins  of 
the  Roman  Catholics,  but  never  dreamt  that  Protestants 
were  sinners  too,  and  didn't  want  to  hear  it.  I  may  have 
been  mistaken  in  this  supposition,  but  I  think  not." 

"  Visited  Muckross  Abbey,  and  found  an  honest  man. 
His  compact,  nominal  as  I  thought,  was  not  to  take 
money.  He  made  himself  most  pleasant,  and  I  offered 
him  something  as  one  does  to  a  railway  porter.  No  ! 
He  thanked  me  affectionately,  said  that  few  of  the  hun- 
dreds he  showed  over  the  place  offered  him  anything. 
These  he  cursed  for  their  meanness  from  the  bottom  of 

his  heart,  but  he  would  not  take  a  farthing When 

we  left  Killarney,  I  saw  at  the  station  a  leave-taking.  I 
never  did  see  such  a  scene  of  tears,  and  kisses,  and  sobs, 
amounting  to  howls.  Up  rushes  one  and  kisses  the 
man  who  is  departing  on  both  cheeks.  '  I  don't  know 
you  personally,'  he  says,  '  but  shure,  I'm  a  namesake  of 


JEt.  22.]  Lost  in  a  Bog.  177 

your  wife's.'  I  don't  know  how  many  miles  he  had  not 
come  just  to  kiss  him.  In  an  open  third-class  carriage 
they  were  talking  very  freely.  One  man  confessed 
plainly  that  he  thought  killing  a  landlord  was  no  break- 
ing of  the  'tin'  commandments." 

On  his  return  to  England,  Hannington  met  Mr.  F. 
May,  and  spent  a  short  time  with  him.  They  started, 
one  day,  to  walk  across  Dartmoor,  and  getting  befogged 
lost  their  way.  They  soon  fell  into  a  bog,  and  were  in 
considerable  peril.  Hannington  was  equal  to  the  emei 
gency.  He  says  :  "When  in  the  worst  place  I  kept  up 
F.'s  drooping  spirits  by  solemnly  pulling  my  tooth-brusli 
out  of  my  pocket  and  cleaning  my  teeth.  The  shout  of 
laughter  at  my  composure,  and  the  breathing-time  it 
gave  us,  pulled  us  together,  and  we  safely  crossed  a 
dreadfully  dangerous  place.  Arrived  at  Prince  Town, 
and  thence  to  Tavistock,  twenty-two  miles,  where  we 
caught  the  train  and  proceeded  to  South  Petherwyn." 

The  following  extract  is  touching  :  "  How  little  there 
seems  in  my  diary  about  my  wife.  Her  incapacity  to 
walk  much,  or  to  travel,  causes  us  to  go  out  together  so 
seldom.  It  is  often  a  cause  of  regret  to  me  that  it 
should  be  so.  But  while  I  am  at  play  she  is  at  work, 
and  visits  much  in  the  parish  among  the  poor,  and  al- 
most exclusively  among  them." 

"I  have  this  year  preached  158  times,  besides  Bible- 
Classes.     Last  year,  136  times." 

The  next  entry  in  the  diary  attests  in  a  very  remark- 
able manner  the  sincerity  of  this  man's  life,  while  it 
throws  a  strong  light  upon  his  complex  character. 
Amidst  all  his  busy  restlessness,  there  was  in  him  a 
strong  desire  after  quietude. 

Nirvana  had  no  charms  for  such  a  nature  as  his.     His 


1/8  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1881. 

idea  of  the  beatific  life  was  not  even  the  enjoyment  of 
green  pastures  by  the  side  of  still  waters — if,  at  least, 
he  had  been  compelled  to  sleep  there  and  dream  forever. 
He  displayed  much  self-knowledge  when  he  wrote,  "I 
enjoy  the  uphill,  struggling  path  most  of  all."  But,  like 
every  true-souled  man  who  has  listened  to  the  voice  of 
God,  and  whose  spirit  has  enjoyed  the  delight  of  com- 
munion with  the  Highest,  he  longed  intensely  after  a 
life  in  which  all  remaining  hindrances  to  intercourse 
with  the  Divine  Spirit  should  be  removed.  There  were 
times  when  he  felt  that  just  to  drink  in  the  Love  of  God, 
and  to  receive  the  communications  of  His  Will,  would 
satisfy  all  the  cravings  of  his  nature,  while  it  exercised 
to  the  utmost  every  faculty  within  him.  He  sometimes 
was  inclined  to  look  upon  those  very  recreations  of  his 
which  all  his  friends  knew  to  be  so  absolutely  necessary 
as  safeguards  against  the  over-strain  of  his  excitable 
nervous  system,  in  the  light  of  hindrances  to  a  perfect 
walk  with  God.  Even  the  active  interest  which  he  took 
in  the  work  of  his  parish  and  its  manifold  details  seemed 
to  him  sometimes  to  clash  with  that  pure  love  of  God 
which  should  be  the  motive  and  mainspring  of  all  en- 
deavor. 

O  man  of  true  and  simple  *  soul,  all  who  have  known 
what  it  is  to  long  that  they  might  flee  away  and  be  at 
rest — at  vestfrotn  thonsclves — will  sympathize  with  what 
you  say  : 

"  1 88 1.  Jan.  3?-^. — Walked  with  Cyril  Gordon  and 
M.  Hankin  to  Cowfold,  and  went  over  the  Monastery. 
It  is  a  huge  place.  It  had  the  most  extraordinary  effect 
upon  me.  It  set  me  longing  for  a  monastic  life.  I  think, 
probably,  a  reactionary  feeling  after  a  long  spell  of  hard 

*  ev  cJ  66\oq  ovk  eari — ^John  i.  47. 


^t.  33.]  A  Monk!  179 

work.     I  exclaimed,  '  Lord,  let  me  spend  and  be  spent 
for  Thee.'  " 

A  monk  !  A  monk  of  the  Fran9ois  Xavier  type  he 
might  have  been.  None  other.  And,  indeed,  of  Xavier, 
allowing  for  differences  of  creed  and  education,  he  often 
reminds  one.  The  same  simple  single-mindedness,  the 
same  fiery,  impetuous  zeal,  the  same  scorn  of  personal 
discomforts,  the  same  indifference  to  luxury  and  con- 
tempt of  danger,  the  same  childlike,  unreasoning  ac- 
ceptance of  the  truth  as  it  was  revealed  to  their  own 
hearts,  and  the  same  magnetic  power  of  communicating 
their  faith  to  others,  characterized  both  these  missionary 
pioneers. 

Had  he  lived  in  still  earlier  times  he  might  have  been 
a  Knight  Templar,  and,  with  virgin  heart  and  body, 
have  wielded  a  good  lance  for  the  honor  of  Christ  and 
His  Church.  But  a  monk  whose  life  must  be  spent  in 
fast,  vigil,  and  mechanical  prayer,  who  shuts  himself  off 
from  the  striving  of  the  sin-steeped,  perishing  world  in 
order  that  he  may  the  better  save  his  own  soul  !    Never ! 

He  continues:  "That  night  I  had  forty-two  men  pres- 
ent at  my  Bible-Class.  Shut  up  in  a  monastery  that 
could  not  be.  These  Franciscans  have  no  contact  with 
the  outer  world." 

In  the  outer  world  we  next  find  him — hard  at  work  as 
ever,  and  full  of  it.  He  had  undertaken  to  conduct  the 
Services  in  Holy  Trinity  Church  in  connection  with  the 
Blackheath  Mission.     His  diary  reports  : 

''Feb.  I S/-/;.— Arrived  at  Holy  Trinity  Vicarage,  Black- 
heath.  I  am  advertised  to  take  twenty-seven  Services  in 
eight  or  nine  days,  and  they  are  pleading  for  more. 
'As  thy  day  thy  strength  will  be.'  " 

"  19///.— Holy  Communion   at    St.   John's.     Met   dear 


i8o  James  Hamiington.  [A.D.  1881. 

Latham,  of  Matlock,  who  greatly  encouraged  me  and 

strengthened  my  hands.     Mr. understands  nothing 

about  Missions,  and  is  inclined  to  be  obstructive.  After- 
noon went  to  hear  Bishop  Thorold.  He  preached  a 
magnificent  sermon  to  Mission  workers.  Evening,  gave 
an  address  to  workers  myself.  About  sixty  present, 
which  encouraged  me  greatly." 

He  wrote  home,  saying  : 

"  I  heard  an  address  from  the  Bishop  of  Rochester,  a 
most  magnificent  sermon,  touching  on  all  points  of  the 
Mission  question.  I  was  afterwards  introduced  to  him, 
and  felt  pleased  that  I  had  asked  for  his  permission  and 
benediction." 

On  the  28th  he  continues  : 

"  For  the  last  eight  days  I  have  been  incessantly  on 
the  move,  so  much  so  that  I  have  been  unable  to  keep 
any  record.  It  was  more  than  hard  work,  more  than 
uphill,  and  yet  very  blessed.  I  preached  four  times  one 
day,  and  three  times  the  next,  alternately,  making  thirty 
times  in  all." 

The  next  entry  may  be  quoted  as  a  hint  to  those  who 
invite  clergymen  to  come  amongst  them  and  undertake 
exhausting  labors,  with  difficulty  leaving  their  own 
home  work,  and  returning  to  it  spent  and  nerve-worn, 
and  who  forget  that  there  are  such  things  as  expenses 
in  connection  with  travel  : 

"  I  was  put  to  ^\  expenses,  and  dear  old  Mr. , 

just  as  I  was  leaving,  said  :  *  You  will  let  me  pay  your 
cab  fare  to  the  station  ? '  This  was  the  first  word  on 
the  subject,  and  the  evident  simplicity  and  good  faith 
of  the  dear  old  man  quite  took  my  breath  away.     '  No,' 


■^t.  33.]  Sympathetic  and  Sincere.  i8l 

said  I,  'I  will  pay  it.'  However,  he  insisted  on  my  tak- 
ing eighteenpence." 

Most  men  in  such  circumstances  would  have  replied  : 
"  Pray  do  not  trouble  to  pay  my  cab,  and  I  will  send 
you  an  account  of  the  sum  total  of  my  expenses  when  I 
reach  home."  But  that  was  not  Hannington's  way. 
Money  was  not  unimportant  to  him  at  this  time,  as  his 
fixed  private  income  did  not  expand  with  his  family. 
But  he  suffered  in  silence,  and  the  only  allusion  to  this 
little  episode  is  to  be  found  in  his  private  diary. 

'■'■April  i^th,  Easter  Day. — Ninety-four  communicants. 
When  I  came  here  first  I  found  only  twenty-four  or 
thirty." 

The  next  entry  affords  an  instance  of  the  manner  in 
which  his  friends  were  accustomed  to  lean  upon  his 
rugged  sincerity  when  they  needed  real  sympathy  : 

^^  April  22nd. — Telegram   from  the  Rev.  to  come 

instantly.    When  I  arrived  I  heard  that  his  wife  had  just 

been  found  dead.    dreadfully  cut  up;  telegraphed 

to  me  for  Christian  sympathy." 

"24/'/^. — Preached  from  Isa.  xlix.  15,  without  especial 
reference  to  the  sad  event.  In  the  midst  of  the  sermon 
I  heard  an  agonized  burst  of  tears  which  I  thought  pro- 
ceeded from  one  of  the s,  touched  by  the  reference 

to  a  mother's  love.  Never  did  I  preach  in  such  mental 
distress,  such  exquisite  agony  of  mind.  I  scarce  strug- 
gled through." 

"■May  22,rd. — Visited  my  father  on  his  yacht  at  Shore- 
ham.  Afterwards  found  to  my  great  delight  Trigonium 
Stellatum." 

On  May  25th  his  third  child  was  born,  whom  he 
named  Paul  Travers. 


1 82  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  i88r. 

Dear  little  Paul  !  He  is  now  five  years  old.  In  hair, 
eyes,  and  contour  of  face  much,  if  not  quite,  what  his 
father  must  have  been  at  his  age.  When  I  visited  Hurst 
last  spring,  and  he  heard  that  I  was  an  old  friend  of  his 
father's,  he  waited  till  we  chanced  to  be  alone,  then 
crept  up  and  laid  his  elbows  upon  my  knee.  "  Tell  me 
something  about  father,"  said  he.  "  Your  father,"  I  said, 
"was  a  very  brave  man,  and  a  good  man.  Will  you,  too, 
try  to  be  both  brave  and  good  ? "  So  he  listened  with 
large  eyes  wide-opened  and  awe-struck,  as  to  the  tale  of 
some  martyr  hero  of  the  holy  past.  When  I  had  fin- 
ished, still  with  his  elbows  on  my  knee  and  his  upturned 
face  resting  upon  his  hands,  he  said,  with  a  plaintive 
quaver  in  his  baby  voice  :  "Tell  me  more  about  father." 
The  memory  of  that  father,  and  the  record  of  the  splen- 
did self-sacrifices  of  his  devoted  life,  will  be  to  his  chil- 
dren a  priceless  legacy,  in  the  possession  of  which  they, 
though  orphaned,  are  most  richly  dowered. 

On  June  4th  certain  alarming  symptoms  warned  the 
family  that  Colonel  Hannington  *  was  in  a  more  critical 
condition  than  ever  in  former  times  of  illness.  He  had 
been  repeatedly  operated  upon  for  stone,  and  his  de- 
clining years  were  full  of  unrest  and  pain.  On  Whit- 
Sunday  all  realized  that  he  was  dying,  and  James  ad- 
ministered to  him  the  Holy  Communion.     He  writes  : 

^^June  6th. — 5.30  a.m.,  called  by  doctor.  Father  worse. 
Telegraphed  to  Mary,  Sam,  etc.,  who  all  came.  I  saw 
him  alone,  remaining  with  him  in  constant  attendance. 
At  11.30  the  doctor  insisted  upon  my  going  to  bed.  At 
2.30  A.M.,  June  7th,  he  ran  into  my  room.  'Come  at 
once.'     I  leaped  from  bed,  ran  to  the  door,  thinking  he 

*  Mr.  Hannington  was  made  J.P.,  and  also  appointed  to  the  Col- 
onelcy of  the  I  St  Sussex  Artillery  Volunteers,  in  1873. 


-^t.  33.]  Death  of  his  Father.  183 

had  left  it  open,  and  nearly  stunned  myself.  Recovering, 
I  ran  in  in  time  to  see  the  last  two  minutes  of  my  fa- 
ther's life.  As  he  passed  away  a  heavenly  expression 
spread  over  his  face.  Just  two  minutes  before  he  had 
said:  'Nurse,  I  am  dying!'  When  she  moved  to  help 
him  he  spoke  his  last  words,  '  Let  me  go.'  It  was,  in- 
deed, we  all  felt,  a  happy  release  from  intense  suffering." 

The  funeral  took  place  on  June  nth.  "About  five 
hundred  followed  as  mourners.  After  the  ceremony  at 
the  grave  the  friends  adjourned  to  St.  George's,  where 
Mr.  Aldwell,  of  Southsea,  administered  the  Holy  Com- 
munion." 

By  his  father's  will  James  Hannington  found  himself 
the  owner  of  St.  George's  Chapel,  but  also  in  the  awk- 
ward position  of  the  possessor  of  a  church  without  a 
stipend,  or  the  means  of  providing  one.  He  was  still 
willing,  as  hitherto,  to  give  his  ministrations  without 
recompense,  but  he  felt  that,  in  case  he  were  led  to 
undertake  any  other  work — and  it  was  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  he  would  remain  during  his  life  the  curate- 
in-charge  of  a  small  country  district — it  would  be  ex- 
tremely difficult  for  him  to  provide  a  proper  stipend  for 
a  successor  out  of  his  own  strictly  limited  private  in- 
come. He  felt  that  his  father  had  made  a  mistake,  and 
had,  by  some  unfortunate  oversight,  omitted  to  make  a 
suitable  provision  for  the  chapel.  The  discovery  of  this 
was,  no  doubt,  a  severe  blow  to  him,  as  St.  George's, 
though  a  curacy  de  jure,  was  almost  a  separate  parish 
de  facto,  and  in  the  continuance  of  the  special  organ- 
ization and  work  which  he  himself  had  initiated  he  took 
the  most  lively  interest.  However,  what  had  been  left 
undone  could  not  now  be  done.  He  simply  writes  : 
"  The  Lord  will  provide,  and  I  will  honor  my  father  to 


1 84  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1881. 

the  utmost  of  my  power."  With  regard  to  the  chapel, 
it  may  be  sufficient  to  add  that,  before  his  last  journey 
to  Africa,  Hannington  left  it  by  will  to  his  eldest  brother, 
Mr.  Samuel  Hannington,  by  whom  all  the  responsibil- 
ities connected  with  it  have  been  heartily  undertaken. 

When  the  business  connected  with  the  death  of  his 
father  and  the  apportioning  of  his  estate  was  concluded, 
Hannington  accompanied  his  eldest  brother  and  family 
in  a  tour  through  the  Western  Highlands  of  Scotland. 
He  was  not  in  very  good  spirits,  and  the  change  of  scene 
was  much  needed  by  him.  Here  is  an  extract  from  his 
very  brief  mention  of  this  trip  : 

"  Sunday,  July  T^rd. — Having  arrived  in  church,  the 
Free  Kirk  at  Kilchrenan,  just  after  the  conclusion  of  the 
first  hymn,  the  minister,  Mr.  Stewart,  stopped,  leant  over 
the  desk,  and  said  to  me,  '  Will  you  preach  ? '  Sam 
pushed  me  out  into  the  aisle,  and  in  two  minutes  I  found 
m)^self  in  a  Highland  pulpit.  I  preached  from  Joshua 
before  Ai  with  great  liberty,  and  the  people  seemed  kind- 
ly disposed  toward  the  Saxon.  In  the  evening  went  to 
Portsonachan.  A  young  stranger  preached  a  written  ser- 
mon far  over  the  heads  of  the  people,  and  a  dog"  (there 
were  several  sheep  dogs  in  the  congregation)  "  worried 
a  rabbit  beneath  the  boarding  of  the  chapel  floor  !  " 

"July  2()th. — Baby  Paul  Travers  christened.  OLord, 
hear  our  prayer  and  make  all  our  children  Thine,  and 
Thine  only." 

Two  months  later  we  met  in  Switzerland.  Hanning- 
ton had  planned  with  Mr.  Mitten  to  make  a  short  moss- 
hunting  tour  in  August,  and,  when  in  Edinburgh,  had 
arranged  that,  if  possible,  we  should  spend  a  while  to- 
gether at  Zermatt.  The  two  botanists  started  on  the 
first  of  August,  and,  making  their  way  as  speedily  as  they 


^t.  33.]  The  Moss-Hunters.  185 

could  to  Wasen,  "  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  "  along 
the  St.  Golthard  Pass  to  Hospenthal.     So  Hannington 
describes  their  progress.     Nor  without  accuracy.    When 
these  enthusiasts  got  into  a  likely  place  they  would  hunt 
the  ground  like  beagles,  lest  a  single  rare  or  valuable 
specimen  should  escape  their  notice.     I  find  a  reference 
in  the  diary  to  an  incident  about  which  "Professor" 
Mitten,  as  Hannington  would  call  him,  used  often  to  be 
teased,  but  which  is  equally  characteristic  of  both  the 
collectors.     While  they  were  exploring  the  high  pastures 
and   snow-flecked  rocks  of  the    Riffel,  I  went  up  from 
Zermatt  one  morning  to  pay  them  a  visit.     When  I  had 
almost  surmounted  the  long  series  of  zigzags,  and  was  a 
few  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  inn,  I  was    made 
aware  of  two  figures,  both  busily  employed  in  grubbing 
around  the  base  of  a  mossy  rock.     Their  pockets  were 
bulky  and  distended,  and  they  might  have  been  gold  or 
diamond  diggers,  if  one  might  judge  from  the  earnest- 
ness of  their  expression,  and  the  energy  with  which  they 
scraped  as  if  for  some  buried  treasure.     I  soon  recog- 
nized  the  moss-hunters.      They  were   on  their  way  to 
Zermatt.     Hannmgton  was  habited,  as  was  his  wont  on 
such    occasions,  in   a  loose  brown  suit   of  some  rough 
material,  baggy  at  the  knees  and  elbows,  and  new  some 
years  before.     From  the  soil-stained   pockets    protrud- 
ed  leaves,  stalks,  and  trailings  as   of   moss.     Upon  his 
head  was  one  of  those  grass  hats,  like  an  inverted  flower- 
pot, which  one  may  buy  at  wayside  stalls  for  a  franc,  and 
about  which   he  had  loosely  wound  a  pocket-handker- 
chief to  shade  his  sun-scorched  face.     He  welcomed  me 
warmly,  and  we  returned  together  to   the  inn  to  lunch, 
leaving  Mr.  Mitten  to  the  society  of  his  cryptogams,  and 
telling   him    that    we   would    rejoin    him   at  the  Hotel 
"  Zermatt  "  in  the  evening. 


i86  James  Hannhigtoit.  [A.D.  1881. 

As  Hannington  had  not  yet  discovered  any  edelweiss, 
we  strolled  after  lunch  to  the  one  place  on  the  brow  of 
the  plateau  overlooking  the  glacier  where  the  flower 
grows  rather  abundantly.  It  was  quite  late  in  the  after- 
noon when  we  returned  and  commenced  the  long  de- 
scent. To  our  intense  amusement  we  came  almost  im- 
mediately upon  "  the  professor."  He  was  still  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  rock  near  which  he  had  been  when  I  first 
encountered  them  both  !  His  pockets  were  more  dis- 
tended than  ever,  and  he  had  not  yet  exhausted  the 
treasures  of  the  neighborhood.  The  furor  colligendi  at 
once  resumed  its  sway  over  Hannington,  and  when  he 
had  finished  laughing  at  his  friend,  he,  too,  sunk  down 
upon  his  knees  and  recommenced  his  scraping  opera- 
tions. It  was  in  vain  to  spur  on  two  such  incorrigibles, 
so  I  left  them  to  follow  when  either  light  or  mosses 
should  fail,  and  pursued  my  own  course  downward. 
Though  I  had  hurt  my  heel  and  my  feet  were  encased  in 
no  better  protection  than  list  slippers,  which  were  con- 
tinually coming  off,  I  reached  the  bottom  some  hours  be- 
fore the  botanists,  still  unsatiated,  appeared  at  the  hotel. 

Hannington  did  not  remain  long  enough  in  Switzer- 
land to  become  thoroughly  bitten  with  the  mania  for 
Alpine  climbing,  but  he  could  not  resist  scaling  one  or 
two  peaks.  The  perilous  always  exercised  a  powerful 
fascination  over  him.  He  often  needed  to  hold  himself 
in  strong  restraint  to  keep  out  of  danger  when  he  had 
no  excuse  for  encountering  it,  and  the  m.ere  encounter- 
ing of  which  would  have  been  to  him  a  fearful  joy. 
Thus  it  may  be  imagined  that  the  precipices  which  wall 
in  the  valley  of  Zermatt,  and  which  have  drawn  together 
so  many  adventurous  spirits,  offered  a  great  temptation 
to  him. 

While  at  the  Riffel,  he  sallied  out  alone  one  day,  and 


^t.  33.]  His  Firmness  of  Will.  187 

climbed  the  knife-like  edge  of  the  Rififelhorn  quite  un- 
aided, taking  off  his  boots  to  enable  him  to  cling  to  the 
steep  rocks  which  so  sheerly  overhang  the  Gorner 
Glacier.  They  told  him,  when  he  returned,  that  he  had 
really  endangered  his  life.  That  a  guide,  or  at  least  a 
competent  companion,  should  have  been  taken  with  him, 
and  that  more  than  one  experienced  climber  had  been 
killed  by  a  slip  of  the  foot  from  those  treacherous  rock 
slants.  But,  he  writes  :  "  It  did  not  seem  dangerous  to 
me."  .  After  all — as  the  Cat  says  to  Rudy,  in  Hans  An- 
dersen's story  of  the  Ice  Maiden — "  One  does  not  fall 
down  if  one  is  not  afraid." 

He  also  ascended  the  Breithorn  and  Monte  Rosa. 
While  on  the  latter  mountain,  he  gave  proof  of  that 
determination  and  firmness  of  will  which  was  one  of 
his  distinguishing  characteristics.  As  we  have  already 
stated,  he  had  commenced  a  vigorous  crusade  against 
intemperance  at  Hurst,  and  had  himself,  for  example's 
sake,  become  a  total  abstainer.  This  pledge  he  con- 
sidered binding  under  all  circumstances.  He  planned 
the  Monte  Rosa  expedition  rather  abruptly,  and  tele- 
graphed from  the  Riffel  to  the  hotel  in  which  I  was  stay- 
ing in  Zermatt,  asking  me  to  join  him.  This  I  was  un- 
able to  do  through  having  hurt  my  foot,  so  he  determin- 
ed to  make  the  ascent  alone.  The  start  was  effected  at 
an  early  hour  by  the  light  of  lanterns,  and  when  the 
morning  was  advanced  he  and  his  guides  found  them- 
selves upon  the  steep  snow  slopes  which  lead  upward 
from  the  Gorner  Glacier.  Hannington  was  not  very 
well,  and  suffered  considerably  from  sickness.  At  one 
time  it  seemed  as  though  he  would  be  unable  to  pro- 
ceed. "  Snow-sickness  "  is  not  uncommon  among  be- 
ginners, and  the  usual  remedy  is  a  mouthful  of  brandy. 
This  would  undoubtedly  have  been  effectual,  and   his 


1 88  James  Hanningto7i.  [A.D.  1881. 

guides  repeatedly  urged  him  to  take  some.  He  was, 
however,  resolute,  and  conquering  his  weakness  by  sheer 
effort  of  the  will,  persevered  until  he  reached  the  sum- 
mit. This  was  soon  noised  abroad  in  Zermatt.  Indeed, 
I  heard  of  it  the  same  evening,  and  rode  up  to  the  Riffel 
early  the  following  morning  to  inquire  for  him.  I  found 
him  busy  with  his  mosses,  and  none  the  worse — except 
indeed  in  complexion — for  his  adventure.  He  got  a 
good  scolding  for  his  extreme  and  Spartan-like  appli- 
cation to  himself  of  his  own  principles,  but  was,  in  our 
secret  hearts,  admired  none  the  less. 

Dr.  Francis  Hawkins,  who  was  with  us  at  Zermatt, 
has  since  told  me  that,  meeting  Hannington  for  the  first 
time,  his  eye  was  attracted  to  a  severe  swelling  upon  his 
hand — the  result  of  a  fly-bite — which,  from  the  extent  of 
inflammation,  must  have  caused  him  no  little  incon- 
venience and  pain  ;  Hannington  made  light  of  it,  but 
it  struck  his  observer  that  here  was  a  man  of  no  ordi- 
nary endurance  and  power  of  self-control.  We  shall  see 
later  on  how  this  same  tenacity  of  will  and  strength  of 
endurance  not  only  saved  his  life  more  than  once  in 
Africa,  during  that  terrible  time  of  fever  and  dysentery, 
when,  left  for  dead  by  his  bearers,  he  yet  found  strength 
to  crawl  after  them  into  camp — but  how  these  qualities 
impressed  both  his  associates  and  dependents,  and  con- 
stituted him  their  leader  by  right  divine,  as  well  as  by 
the  fiat  of  the  Home  Committee. 

After  his  spring  holiday,  Hannington  did  not  feel  him- 
self at  liberty  to  prolong  his  Swiss  tour  beyond  a  fort- 
night, and  so  turned  his  face  steadfastly  homeward. 
That  same  evening,  after  the  slow  descent  from  the 
Riffel  already  described,  found  him  and  Mr.  Mitten  at 
St.  Nicolas.  The  next  day  they  walked  to  Visp,  took 
train  to  Susten,  and  from  thence,  passing  up  the  smiling 


^t.  33.]  Botany  at  Berne.  189 

valley  to  Leukerbad,  ascended  the  steep  bridle-path 
which  scales  the  stupendous  cliffs  of  the  abysmal  Gemmi, 
and  spent  the  night  at  the  little  inn  which  is  perched 
like  a  raven's  nest  upon  the  very  summit.  All  the  way 
the  lithe  gray  lizards  glanced  like  flecks  of  shadow  over 
the  gray  stones.  Grasshoppers  with  green  and  crimson 
wings  flashed  in  short  flight  across  the  path  like  living 
emeralds  and  rubies.  Great  Apollo  butterflies  and  striped 
swallow-tails  soared  and  balanced  themselves  on  wide- 
spread lazy  wings  over  the  deep  ravine,  or  raced  up  and 
down  the  steep  hill-sides  above  the  nodding  grasses. 
The  air  was  tremulous  with  the  chirping  of  innumerable 
hosts  of  crickets — a  tireless  invisible  choir.  Hannington 
was  indifferent  to  none  of  these  things,  but,  upon  this 
occasion,  botany  was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  the  two 
"herbalists"  concentrated  their  attention  mainly  upon 
the  flora  of  the  districts  through  which  they  passed. 
They  were  so  delighted  with  their  "  find  "  on  the  Gemmi, 
that  they  remained  there  for  nearly  two  days,  collecting 
on  the  Kandersteg  side  of  the  pass.  Hannington  writes: 
"Entering  some  woods  the  flora  was  so  superb  and  so 
different  to  what  we  had  come  across,  that  the  Professor 

was    nearly   crazy  with   delight At   Berne,  after 

giving  a  very  little  time  to  the  sights,  two  travellers  aston- 
ished the  natives  by  visiting  all  the  fountains,  and  peer- 
ing down  into  the  water,  at  times  turning  up  their 
sleeves  and  groping  in  the  depths  beneath,  dragging 
up  tiny  fragments  of  a  minute  fissidens*  which  is  only 
known  to  grow  in  Berne." 

A  few  days  later,  Hannington  was  again  in  England, 
and,  after  a  short  visit  to  Martinhoe,  where  he  preached  to 
congregations  of  his  old  friends,  he  settled  down  once 
more  to  work  in  St.  George's. 

*  Fissidens  Polyphyllus. 


IQO  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  i<S8i. 

The  two  last  chapters  have  been  occupied  with  a  some- 
what desultory  description  of  various  incidents  of  Han- 
nington's  ministerial  life.  They  have  been  given  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  referred  to  in  his  private  journal 
and  letters.  Not  every  event  is  here  recorded,  but  those 
have  been  selected  which  seem  most  to  display  the  man, 
his  idiosyncrasies,  and  his  method  of  working.  His  was 
a  nature  for  the  proper  understanding  of  which  it  will 
be  necessary  to  throw  all  available  side  lights  upon  it. 
Men  are,  it  is  commonly  said,  like  the  leaves  of  a  forest; 
among  their  countless  multitudes,  no  two  are  precisely 
alike.  Yet  some  are  more  widely  differentiated  from 
their  fellows  than  others.  Among  the  numerous  biog- 
raphies which  have  appeared — among  the  countless 
memoirs,  monographs,  and  notices  of  workers  in  the 
busy  world-hive — we  are  inclined  to  think  that  Hanning- 
ton's  double  has  not  yet  been  seen.  The  acts  of  his  life 
recorded  in  the  foregoing  pages  may  be  sufficient  to 
show  that  his  was  a  distinct  personality  compounded  of 
many  seemingly  incongruous  materials.  Patience  and 
impatience,  impetuous  haste  and  dogged  tenacity  of 
perseverance,  pride  and  humility,  love  of  applause  and 
disdain  of  it,  vanity  and  self-depreciation,  nervous  sensi- 
tiveness and  moral  courage,  self-assertive  wilfulness  and 
unselfish  thoughtfulness  for  others  and  forgetfulness  of 
self — all  these  paradoxical  elements  went  to  make  up 
this  man  who  was  a  continual  puzzle  to  those  v/ho  knew 
him  only  superficially. 

But  all  these  elements  were  fused  together  by  his 
deep  earnestness  of  purpose  till  they  formed,  as  it  were, 
a  composite  metal,  tough,  elastic,  and  enduring,  from 
which,  as  from  a  piece  of  ordnance,  the  message  of  his 
life  might  be  discharged  with  unerring  precision  and 
irresistible  force. 


-^t.  33-]  Appeal  from  the  Mission  Field.  191 

The  next  chapter  will  be  the  last  which  has  to  do  with 
his  home  life  and  work,  and  in  it  we  will  try  to  make  it 
clear  how  he  was  gradually  led  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  ought  to  respond  in  his  own  proper  person  to  the 
appeal  from  the  Mission  Field  for  more  men. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    BECKONING    HAND. 
(1878—82.) 

"  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  saying,  Whom  shall  I  send,  and 
who  will  go  for  us  ?     Then  said  I,  Here  am  I,  send  me." — Is.  vi.  8. 

"  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  Quest." — Holy  Grail. 

When  Hannington  heard,  early  in  the  year  1878,  of 
the  manner  in  which  tlie  heroic  labors  of  Lieutenant 
Shergold  Smith  and  Mr.  O'Neill  had  been  crowned  by 
their  violent  death  on  the  shore  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza, 
he  was  deeply  moved.  He  felt  within  himself  the  stir- 
rings of  a  strong  desire  to  offer  to  fill  the  gap  which 
their  fall  had  made  in  the  ranks  of  the  little  Central 
African  Mission  Army.  That  desire  slowly  ripened  and 
developed  into  a  definite  purpose. 

At  the  commencement  of  his  ministry  he  knew  very 
little,  almost  nothing  in  fact,  about  foreign  mission 
work.  He  bent  all  his  energies  upon  the  duty  that  lay 
nearest  to  him,  which  seemed  to  be  the  shepherding  of 
those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness  who  had  been  consti- 
tuted his  special  charge.  To  the  surprise  of  some  of 
the  friends  of  his  boyhood,  he  seemed  to  be  content 
with  the  uneventful  life  of  a  hard-working  country  par- 
son.*    Quite  gradually  his  mind  was  enlarged  to  take 

*  As  one  of  them  writes  :  "  That  the  Bishop  should  ever  have 
settled  down  to  the  life  of  a  country  parson  was  a  thing  that  often 
came  up  in  my  mind  with  unformed  doubts  and  fears,  though  we 
never  discussed  the  matter." 
(192) 


^t.  34.]         The  Church  Missionary  Society.  193 

in  the  wants  of  a  wider  sphere.  He  became  more  and 
more  consciously  aware  of  dark,  perishing  millions  "in 
the  regions  beyond,"  among  whom  moved  heroic  men, 
brethren  of  a  new  order  of  knight  errantry,  the  pioneers 
of  the  modern  Church. 

Now  and  again  he  would  meet  with  some  friend  who 
would  stir  up  in  him  an  interest  in  the  evangelization  of 
the  heathen  world,  and  among  the  many  agencies  at 
work,  the  great  Church  Missionary  Society  began  to 
take  in  his  mind  a  foremost  place.  As  early  as  1875  he 
had  some  conversations  at  Darley  House  with  Miss 
Evans  and  Miss  Gell— sister  of  the  Bishop  of  Madras, 
and  now  Mrs.  Childe — which  left  their  impression  upon 
him,  and  caused  him  to  resolve  that  he  would  make 
himself  better  acquainted  with  what  was  being  done  to 
carry  out  the  last  charge  of  Christ  to  His  disciples. 

Such  entries  as  the  following  occur  in  his  diary  from 
time  to  time  : 

"  Dunlop  Smith  orders  me  to  do  more  for  the  C. 
M.  S." 

"  Mrs.  Weitbrecht  arrived  for  the  Zenana  Society. 
An  exceedingly  dear  old  lady.  If  all  missionaries  were 
as  she  is  it  would  be  good  for  the  cause." 

"  Preached  on  Day  of  Intercession  my  first  C.  M.  S. 
sermon  :   i  Kings  xviii.  41." 

"  Gave to  the  C.  M.  S.,  an  Easter  gift." 

Then  the  following  : 

"  H.  G.  came  to  see  me,  and,  to  my  surprise,  told  me 
that  he  longed  to  become  a  Missionary.  I  told  him  that 
I  longed  to  be  one  too.  Smith  and  O'Neill's  death,  and 
some  papers  I  had  read,  had  set  me  longing." 

Then — 

''Men}.   21st,   i88i.~C.   M.   S.   meeting   at   the   Dome, 
9 


194  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

Brighton  ;  Bruce  from  Persia.  Most  interesting.  How 
that  man's  words  went  to  my  heart !  " 

^^  Nov.  2gth. — Went  to  Eastbourne  to  a  meeting  of  C. 
M.  S.  District  Secretaries.  Holy  Communion  10  a.m. 
At  II  A.M.  Mr.  Lombe  addressed  the  meeting.  He  is  a 
grand  man  ;  I  only  wish  we  had  one  like  him.  After 
lunch,  at  which  I  thought  myself  happy  to  be  near  Mr. 
Lombe,  Mr.  Eugene  Stock  spoke.  Clear  and  incisive. 
If  he  had  asked  me  to  go  out,  I  should  have  said.  Yes. 
I  longed  to  offer  myself  to  go." 

**  1882.  Feb.  nth. — Cyril  Gordon  came  to  me.  I 
opened  to  him  my  heart  about  offering  myself  as  Mis- 
sionary. It  does  not  seem  to  me,  however,  possible  that 
the  C.  M.  S.  would  accept  me.  I  am  not  worthy  of  the 
honor." 

Not  worthy  of  the  honor,  O  holy  and  humble  man  of 
heart !  Unworthy  of  the  honor  of  serving  Christ  thou 
mightest  indeed  have  deemed  thyself  ;  but  there  has 
been  no  society  of  men  who  would  not  have  been  hon- 
ored in  possessing  such  an  agent  and  servant  as  thou  ! 
Had  the  Church  Missionary  Society  "despised"  thee,  as 
thou  didst  fear,  it  would  have  set  its  sign  and  seal  for- 
ever to  its  own  fatuity.  But  not  least  among  signs  of 
its  vitality  will  be  recorded  the  fact  that  it  recognized 
thy  power  and  admitted  thee  at  once  into  a  foremost 
place  amongst  the  ranks  of  its  fighting  men. 

Not  many  days  after  this  interview  with  Mr.  Cyril 
Gordon,  Mr.  Wigram,  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Society, 
wrote  to  Hannington,  saying  that  it  had  been  reported 
to  him  that  he  was  willing  to  labor  in  the  foreign  Mis- 
sion-field, and  offering  to  afford  him  the  opportunity  he 
desired. 

This  letter  brought  his  thoughts  on  the  subject  to  a 


JEt.  34.]  Called  of  God.  195 

head,  and  he  hesitated  no  longer.  During  the  past  four 
years  the  conviction  had  been  steadily  deepening  within 
him  that  his  constitutional  gifts  and  aptitudes  were  such 
as  to  qualify  him  in  a  special  manner  for  work  of  toil 
and  danger  among  a  savage  race.  His  large  and  broad 
knowledge  of  men,  gained  during  a  life  of  constant 
movement  and  varied  travel  ;  the  habit  of  command 
which  he  had  acquired  quite  early  in  life;  and  the  influ- 
ence which  he  could  not  help  seeing  that  he  readily  ac- 
quired over  rude  and  untrained  natures — all  seemed  to 
have  been  granted  to  him  that  he  might  employ  them 
in  some  difficult  service  that  would  tax  his  powers  to 
the  utmost. 

It  was  true  that  his  presence  was  apparently  needed 
at  home.  His  work  at  Hurstpierpoint  had  been  crowned 
with  a  large  measure  of  success.  His  friends  did  not 
fail  to  point  out  to  him  that  a  man  may  serve  God  as 
faithfully  and  efficiently  in  an  English  parish  as  among 
heathen  tribes  in  the  torrid  or  arctic  zone;  that  if  every 
good  man  went  abroad — etc.  !  He  acknowledged  the 
force   of   these    arguments,*   and,   moreover,   had    four 

*  In  a  sermon  preached  at  the  Church  of  St.  Margaret,  Brighton, 
he  used  the  following  words  : 

"  Our  little  band  which  is  about  to  set  forth  needs  all  your  sym- 
pathy to  encourage  them.  You  may  depend  upon  it  that  it  requires 
some  courage  to  leave  home  on  an  expedition  of  this  sort.  I  speak 
from  personal  experience.  When  all  men  are  against  one,  saying 
that  one  is  making  a  mistake,  that  he  is  utterly  wrong,  that  he  is 
running  away  from  the  work  which  God  has  given  him  to  do,  and 
is  seeking  other  work  for  himself,  no  small  courage  is  needed  to  go 
forth.  But  I  should  not  dare  to  stand  up  before  you  if  I  believed 
that  I  were  going  out  to  find  work  for  myself.  I  firmly  believe  that 
I  have  been  sent  forth  by  God.  From  the  beginning  I  have  placed 
the  matter  in  the  hands  of  God.  I  dare  not  weigh  my  own  mo- 
tives or  fathom  my  own  heart,  but  I  ask  God  to  guide  me  by  His 


196  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

strong  personal  arguments  of  his  own  which  fought 
mightily  against  his  project — even  a  wife  and  three  little 
children.  He  was  quite  aware,  also,  that  it  was  possible 
that  his  crowded  church,  large  classes,  and  flourishing 
societies  might  not  be  equally  well  cared  for  by  a  suc- 
cessor ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  knew  that  it  would 
be  far  easier  to  obtain  the  services  of  an  able  man  for  a 
home  parish  than  to  persuade  such  an  one  to  respond  to 
the  Society's  appeal,  and  to  give  up  almost  all  hope  of 
preferment  by  burying  the  best  years  of  his  life  unknown 
among  the  heathen.  As  he  used  to  say  :  "  There  are 
plenty  of  men  who  would  be  glad  enough  to  take  my 
place  here,  but  there  are  not  many  who  can  make  up 
their  minds  to  sacrifice  home  and  home  prospects,  and 
go  into  the  '  dark  places  of  the  earth.'  Missionaries  are 
not,  like  other  travellers,  held  in  high  esteem.  They 
are  looked  upon  as  a  set  of  inferior  clergy,  and  generally 
live  unnoticed  and  die  unrewarded.  Few  men  see  much 
attraction  in  such  a  career.  When  the  C.  M.  S.  appealed 
for  more  men,  I  seemed  to  hear  the  Master  asking, 
*  Who  will  go  ? '  and  I  said,  '  Lord,  send  me.'  " 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Wigram's  letter,  Hannington  wrote  : 

"  HuRSTPiERPOiNT,  J^ed.  i6t/i,  1882. 

"Dear  Sir, — Many  thanks  for  your  kind  letter.  I 
shall,  if  nothing  prevent,  be  passing  through  London 
Tuesday  next,  on  my  way  to  hold  a  Mission.  May  I 
call  upon  you  then  ? 

"  I  am,  in  consequence  of  this,  and  also  having  to  pre- 
pare for  a  Mission  /lere  immediately  after,  so  busy  that  I 
cannot  well  write  at  the  length  such  a  vastly  important 
subject  demands.    I  am  thirty-four.    Offered  myself  only 

Holy  Spirit.  I  pray  that  if  God  will  not  go  with  me  He  will  not 
let  me  go." 


JEt.  34.]  Tke  U-Ganda  Expedition.  197 


pro  tern.,  because  married.  For  Nyanza,  because  I  under- 
stand that  it  must  necessarily  be  pro  tem.,^  and  because 
I  believe  I  have  a  fair  amount  of  experience  and,  thus 
far  in  life,  endurance,  and  nerve  likely  to  be  useful  for 
such  a  field.  I  append  a  few  names  of  my  more  imme- 
diate friends  for  reference."  (Then  follows  a  list.)  "  I 
can  give  several  more  if  required.  I  should,  how- 
ever, greatly  prefer  that  none  of  these  were  written 
to  until  I  have  had  a  personal  interview  with  you.  For 
this  reason  :  I  have  not  announced  the  matter,  because  I 
do  not  want  people's  minds  unsettled,  should  it  fall 
through  from  other  causes.  God  forbid  I  should  boast, 
but  I  venture  to  believe  that  the  Committee  will  be  sat- 
isfied with  the  character  my  friends  will  give  me.  I  only 
wish  I  were  more  deserving  of  their  kind  esteem. 

"  I  am  almost  weighed  down  with  the  great  responsi- 
bility of  my  offering  myself  ;  but  I  pray,  '  Lord,  send  me 
there,  or  keep  me  here;  only  let  me  be  useful';  and  I 
cannot  but  believe  that  we  shall  be  rightly  guided. 
"  I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  truly, 

"James  Hannington. 

"  Will  you  kindly  let  me  know  if  Tuesday  will  suit, 
and  the  time  ?  I  should  prefer  morning,  as  I  am  going 
to  Nottingham  (d.v.)." 

Whatever  may  have  been  Hannington's  faults,  he  was 
not  one  of  those  who,  when  they  see  their  duty  clearly, 
still  "  linger  with  vacillating  obedience." 

*  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  to  Mr.  Cyril  Gordon  will 
explain  this : 

"  I  volunteer  to  help  in  the  expedition  for  U-Ganda  for  the  follow- 
ing reasons :  It  is  a  place  where  I  believe  the  general  experience  I 
have  had  would  be  useful,  and  where  I  understand  Europeans  can- 
not stop  very  long ;  and  I  do  not  see  my  way  clear  to  offer  myself 
for  a  long  term.     Say  from  three  to  five  y  ars." 


198  James  ITannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

On  Feb.  21st  the  diary  takes  up  the  thread  of  the 
narrative  : 

"  Made  my  will,  and  proceeded  to  Oak  Hill  House, 
Hampstead,  where  Mr.  Wigram  lives,  and,  after  dinner, 
had  a  long  discussion  about  my  going  out  as  a  Mission- 
ar)^  Wigram  gave  me  a  most  tremendous  sounding  on 
all  points  of  the  faith. 

"2  2;/(/. — Went  to  Salisbury  Square,  and  was  inter- 
viewed by  Lang.  Dined  at  the  College.  G.  Chapman 
came  up.  '  Are  you  offering  yourself  for  Africa  ? '  to 
which  I  had  to  make  an  evasive  answer.  Interviewed 
Mr.  F.  F.  Goe. 

"  2T,rd. — Interview  with  Barlow.*  I  am  praying  that 
the  Medical  Board  may  be  directed  rightly  concerning 
me.  I  went  to  see  them,  expecting  tremendous  criti- 
cism, but,  rather  to  my  disgust,  they  only  asked  one  or 
two  questions,  and  turned  round  and  said,  'You  are  fit 
to  go  anywhere.'  " 

After  these  preliminaries,  Hannington  wrote  to  the 
Committee  from  Southwell,  where  he  had  gone  to  see 
his  friend,  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Garbett. 

"Southwell,  Feb.  2T,rd,  1882. 

"  Gentlemen, — In  answer  to  your  appeal  for  men,  I 
place  myself  at  your  disposal  for  the  Nyanza  work  for  a 
period  of  not  more  than  five  years,  on  the  condition  that 
you  will  undertake  to  supply  my  place  at  St.  George's 
Chapel,  Hurstpierpoint. 

"  Though  I  offer  to  serve  you  on  these  conditions  most 
freely  and  to  the  best  of  the  power  given  me,  yet  I  would 
earnestly  beg  you  not  to  accept  my  services  unless  you 
feel  that  you  have  urgent  need  of  them. 

*  Principal  of  the  C.  M.  S.  College  at  Islington. 


^t.  34.]  St.  George  s  Chapel.  199 

"  Should  you  ask  me  to  go  out,  I  shall  be  able  to  have 
jT^z^  quarterly  paid  to  your  Treasurer  to  help  to  defray 
my  expenses.  I  shall  also  be  able  to  pay  ^50  towards 
my  outfit. 

"  With  humble  prayer  that  your  minds  may  be  rightly 

guided, 

"  I  remain,  your  obedient  servant, 

"James  Hannington." 

St.  George's  Chapel  was  now  Hannington's  own  prop- 
erty, but  had  been  left  to  him  by  his  father  wholly  un- 
endowed. His  own  private  income  was  not  large  enough 
to  allow  him  to  provide  an  adequate  stipend  for  a  Curate- 
in-charge  ;  he,  therefore,  proposed  to  the  Society  that 
they  should  supply  the  duty  by  means  of  missionaries 
who  had  either  retired  from  the  field,  or  who  were  at 
home  on  prolonged  leave,  while  he  served  abroad.  Dur- 
ing the  five  years  which  he  purposed  to  spend  in  Mission 
work,  he  offered  himself  to  the  Committee  without  other 
stipend  than  the  payment  of  his  travelling  expenses,  to- 
ward which  he  was  to  contribute  a  hundred  pounds 
yearly. 

Had  he  not  felt  bound  to  consider  the  needs  of  those 
who  were  dependent  upon  him,  and  to  whom  his  means 
belonged,  as  well  as  to  himself,  he  would  gladly  have 
poured  all  he  had  into  the  treasury,  and  have  gone  forth 
as  a  simple  evangelist  to  the  nations  which  "  lie  in  dark- 
ness and  in  the  shadow  of  death."  On  the  6th  of  March 
Hannington  again  visited  the  C.  M.  College.  He  de- 
scribes the  evening  thus  : 

"Prayer,  5.45.  Tea  at  6.  Dormitory  meeting,  8.30. 
Prayer,  9.30.  Bed,  10.  The  whole  atmosphere  of  the 
College  strikes  me  as  very  hoi}'." 

''Mar.  7//^.— Walked  with  Barlow  to  Salisbury  Square, 


200  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882, 

12  o'clock.  Went  in  to  see  the  Committee,  who  accepted 
my  offer,  and  said  they  urgently  needed  my  services,  and 
were  otherwise  most  complimentary.  Canon  Money 
offered  prayer,  and  I  learnt  more  news  in  the  prayer 
than  I  had  any  idea  of.  I  gathered  that  I  was  to  be  the 
leader  of  the  party. 

"I  returned  home,  and  broke  the  news  to  my  wife. 
She  was  more  than  brave  about  it,  and  gave  me  to  the 
Lord.  I  had  asked  her  often  before,  and  she  had  said  she 
would  let  me  go.  I  had  not  mentioned  my  offer  before, 
because  she  was  all  alone,  and  I  thought  the  suspense 
would  be  more  than  she  could  bear.  I  also  told  the 
Neves,  but  nobody  else,  as  we  have  a  Mission  coming 
on. 

The  Committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  was 
about  to  send  a  fresh  party  to  Central  Africa  to  reinforce 
the  brave  two  *  v/ho  held  the  ground  at  Rubaga,  that 
latest  city  of  martyrs,  by  the  mystic  source  of  the  Nile. 

King  Mtesa  was  then  alive  ;  he  whose  bright,  intelli- 
gent, though  fitful  nature,  had  so  attracted  Speke  when 
he  visited  his  Court,  in  1861,  and  whose  qualities  made 
so  deep  an  impression  upon  Stanley  that  he  wrote,  in  1875, 
a  letter  to  the  Daily  Telegraph,  in  which  he  "  challenged 
Christendom  to  send  Missionaries  to  U-Ganda." 

After  the  manner  of  African  monarchs,  Mtesa  did  not 
make  things  so  easy  for  the  missionary  band  as  his  warm 
invitation  had  seemed  to  promise.  At  first  he  appeared  to 
lend  a  ready  ear  to  Christian  instruction,  but  his  mind 
was  more  occupied  with  the  temporal  advantages  to  be  de- 
rived from  contact  with  Europeans  than  with  their  creed. 
The  Arab  traders  also  at  his  Court,  here  as  everywhere 
else,  did  all  in  their  power  to  poison  his  mind  against 

*  Mr.  A.  M.  Mackay,  C.E.,  and  the  Rev.  P.  O'Flaherty. 


JEt.  34.]  French  Priests  at  U-Ganda.  201 

the  white  men.  These  Arabs  are  well  aware  that  their 
miserable  traffic  in  human  flesh  cannot  long  prosper 
where  the  influence  of  Englishmen  is  allowed  to  pre- 
vail. They,  therefore,  thwart  and  hinder  the  European 
in  every  conceivable  manner,  and  use  all  their  influence 
with  King  and  chiefs  to  make  his  stay  in  the  country 
impossible.  Every  traveller,  whether  missionary,  ex- 
plorer, or  man  of  science,  who  has  attempted  to  stop  for 
any  length  of  time  with  a  Central  African  Prince,  has 
felt  the  malign  power  and  suffered  from  the  treachery 
of  these  slave-trading  vampires.  Before  the  coming  of 
the  Christians,  these  Arabs  had  persuaded  Mtesa  to  pro- 
fess himself  a  Mohammedan.  They  now  intrigued  with- 
out intermission  to  turn  him  aside  from  his  apparent  in- 
clination to  study  and  adopt  the  teaching  of  Christianity. 

To  add  to  the  ordinary  difficulties  of  implanting  the 
Christian  Faith  in  the  soil  of  savage  hearts,  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  now  thought  fit  to  interfere.  We  do 
not  wish  to  speak  with  bitterness  of  their  conduct ;  but, 
with  almost  the  whole  of  the  Dark  Continent  before 
them,  it  was  surely  a  gratuitous  piece  of  vexatious  har- 
assment that  they  should  send  a  band  of  priests  for  the 
express  purpose  of  disputing  with  the  English  Church- 
men the  ground  which  they  had  already  occupied  for 
two  years,*  and  where  they  were,  at  last,  after  most 
painful  effort,  beginning  to  reap  what  they  had  sown 
and  watered  with  their  own  blood  and  tears. 

These  French  priests  of  the  Roman  Church,  coming 
by  way  of  Zanzibar,  and  crossing  the  Lake  from  Kagei, 
arrived  at  U-Ganda  in  1879,  and  took  up  their  abode  at 
Rubaga.  They  were  not  content  merely  to  establish  a 
Mission  there,  but  at  once  informed  Mtesa  that  he  had 

*  Since  1877. 


202  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 


been  deluded  and  mistaught  by  the  Protestants.  The 
poor  King  was,  as  may  be  supposed,  reduced  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  perplexity.  He  would  say:  "How  can  I 
know  whom  to  believe  ?  I  am  first  taught  by  the  Arabs 
that  there  is  One  God.  The  English  come  to  tell  me 
that  there  are  two,  and  now  I  am  to  learn  that  there  are 
three  !  "  (God,  Christ,  and  the  Virgin). 

Messrs.  Wilson,   Felkin,    and    Pearson   were   now  in 
U-Ganda,  and  they  persuaded  the  King  to  allow  them 
to   return   by  way  of   the    Soudan,  taking  with   them 
some  chiefs,  who  might  be  presented  to  the  "  Queeny," 
Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  and  bring  back  to  their 
people  tidings  of  what  they  saw  in  Europe.     Mr.  Pear- 
son was   left   behind,  and,  together  with  Mr.  Mackay, 
set  up  a  small  printing-press,  and  taught  the  people  to 
read.     They  showed  quite  an  enthusiastic  readiness  to 
acquire  this  new  accomplishment,  and  scholars  might 
soon  be  seen  everywhere  poring  over  tablets  with  alpha- 
bets, sentences,  and  portions  of  Scripture.     These  were 
not  given  gratis,  but  were  eagerly  bought  by  the  lads 
and  others.     So  the  work  went  on,  with  sundry  ups  and 
downs-the  ups  being  the  result  of  the  general  good- 
will of  the  people,  the  downs  that  of  Arab  intrigues  and 
Roman    misrepresentations  — but,    on    the    whole,   pro- 
gressed.    In   the   spring   of   1881   the   envoys  who   had 
been  sent  to  England  returned  with  Mr.  Felkin*  and 
the  Rev.  P.  O'Flaherty.t     Leaving  Mr.  Felkin  at  Zan- 
zibar, Mr.  O'Flaherty  proceeded   to  Rubaga,  where  he 
remained  with  Mr.  Mackay,  and  the  work  of  the  Church 
went  forward  apace.     The  two  missionaries  "described 

*  Now  Dr.  Felkin,  of  Edinburgh. 

t  Mr.  O 'Flaherty  died  on  July  21st,  1 886,  in  the  Red  Sea,  as  he 
was  returning  home. 


^t.  34.]  TJic  Central  African  Mission.  203 

themselves  as  builders,  carpenters,  smiths,  wheelwrights, 
sanitary  engineers,  farmers,  gardeners,  printers,  sur- 
geons, and  phj'sicians."  They  were,  in  the  usefullest 
sense,  "All  things  to  all  men."  They  went  on  tran- 
scribing the  Bible,  Prayer-Book,  and  Hymns  into  Lu- 
Ganda  at  a  great  rate,  and  found  that  the  demand  for 
their  printed  slips  was  even  greater  than  they  could 
supply. 

On  March  i8th,  at  the  very  time  when  it  had  been 
finally  decided  by  the  Home  Committee  to  send  out 
Hannington  and  his  party  to  their  reinforcement,  they 
were  reaping  the  first  considerable  fruits  of  their  labor. 
Five  converts  were  admitted  into  the  Church  by  bap^ 
tism.  The  first  five  of  a  church  which  two  years  later, 
at  the  end  of  1884,  consisted  of  eighty-eight  native  mem- 
bers. In  few  Mission  stations  of  modern  times  have  so 
many  hardships,  repulses,  and  perils,  with  savage  perse- 
cution, had  to  be  endured  ;  but  in  few  have  the  results 
been  more  rapid,  or  the  conversions  of  a  more  solid  and 
abiding  character.  The  history  of  the  Central  African 
Mission,  when  it  is  published,  will  prove  to  be  (whether 
a  permanent  Church  be  established  in  U-Ganda  or  not) 
the  romance  of  modern  missions.  This  book  contains  an 
account  of  Bishop  Hannington  and  his  connection  with 
the  Mission  rather  than  of  the  Mission  itself  ;  but  we 
shall,  in  the  course  of  our  narrative,  be  called  upon  to 
show  how  some  of  these  young  native  Christians  have 
already  stood  that  most  awful  and  bitter  test  of  sincer- 
ity, from  the  very  contemplation  of  which  we  shrink 
with  shuddering  dread  and  pity,  and  have  confessed  to 
their  trust  in  Christ  even  in  the  flames. 

The  new  party  was  to  consist  of  six  men — the  Rev.  R. 
P.  Ashe,  B.A.,  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge  ;  three  of 
the  Islington  College  Students  (Messrs.  J.  Blackburn, 


204  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

Cyril  Gordon,  and  W.  J.  Edmonds)  ;  and  also  Mr.  C. 
Wise,  an  artisan.  Hannington  was  entrusted  with  the 
leadership  of  the  expedition.  They  were  to  endeavor  to 
reach  U-Ganda  from  Zanzibar  by  the  old  route,  via 
Mamboia,  Uyui,  and  Msalala,  and  from  thence  by  boat 
across  the  Victoria  Nyanza  to  Rubaga. 

When  all  had  been  finally  arranged,  and  the  time  for 
his  departure  settled,  Hannington  made  known  his  de- 
termination to  his  congregation  at  Hurst. 

On  March  26th  he  announced  that  he  would  explain 
his  step,  and  state  the  reasons  which  had  led  to  it,  at 
the  evening  service.  The  chapel  was  thronged.  Many 
wept  aloud  ;  the  people  would  hardly  let  him  go.  Some 
could  not  be  made  to  understand  that  he  ought  to  go. 
They  had  learned  to  look  upon  him  as  their  own.  He 
seemed  to  them  to  be  defrauding  them  of  their  right  in 
him  in  thus  taking  himself  away. 

However,  there  was  no  appeal.  He  could  not  now  be 
detained,  so  they  determined  that  they  would  do  their 
best  to  encourage  him,  and  send  him  forth  in  a  manner 
that  befitted  their  own  pastor.  They  were  not  rich,  but 
they  did  what  they  could,  and,  among  other  suitable 
gifts,  subscribed  ^^85  toward  his  outfit. 

As  the  public  mind  was  at  that  time  directed  toward 
U-Ganda  by  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Felkin's  book,  which 
had  been  very  favorably  reviewed  in  the  Times,  Hanning- 
ton took  advantage  of  the  fact  to  appeal  in  the  columns 
of  that  paper  for  subscriptions  to  enable  him  to  carry 
with  him  a  new  boat  with  which  to  navigate  the  Victoria 
Nyanza  in  place  of  the  Daisy,  which  had  been  wrecked. 
This  appeal  was  well  responded  to,  and  he  was  able  to 
take  out  in  sections  a  good  boat,  which  has  since  proved 
of  much  service  to  the  Mission  band.* 

♦Hannington  himself  subscribed  £^1^  toward  this  boat. 


JEt.  34.]  Farewell  Sermon  at  Hurst.  205 

On  May  i6th  a  Valedictory  Dismissal  was  held  in  St. 
James's  Hall,  Paddington.  Eleven  missionaries  were 
committed  to  the  care  of  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth, 
and  sent  forth  into  the  regions  beyond.  Hannington 
writes:  "I,  of  course,  had  to  speak  when  my  turn  came, 
but  I  scarcely  know  what  I  said."  That  same  evening 
he  returned  to  Hurst,  and  preached  in  the  parish  church 
to  a  great  congregation.  All  who  could  cram  into  the 
building  were  there. 

One  of  his  friends  writes  :  "  It  was  with  a  keen  sense 
of  severe  personal  loss  that  we  heard  that  he  had  defi- 
nitely made  up  his  mind  to  go  out  to  Central  Africa.  I 
well  remember  that  part  of  the  day  when  he  preached 
his  final  sermon  at  Hurst.  We  travelled  down  together 
from  town  to  Hassock's  Gate.  He  gave  me  a  long  letter 
to  read  which  had  been  sent  home  by  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries from  Mtesa's  country.  All  the  way  down  he 
had  been  preparing  the  farewell  sermon  which  he  was 
to  deliver  that  evening  in  the  parish  church.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  earnest  and  effective  addresses  to  which  I 
have  ever  listened,  and  evoked  a  thrill  of  emotion  through 
the  whole  of  the  densely-crowded  audience.  The  text  was 
I  Sam.  XXX.  24,  ^As  his  share  is  that  goeth  dotvn  to  the  battle, 
so  shall  his  share  be  that  tarrieth  by  the  stuff ;  they  shall  share 
alike.'  With  characteristic  humility  he  spoke  of  the  time 
when  he  first  came  among  them,  hot-headed  and  inex- 
perienced; told  us  things  against  himself,  which  he  never 
laid  to  the  charge  of  others,  and  said  how  kindly  they 
had  all  borne  with  him.  And  he  added  words  which 
must  now  dwell  in  many  memories:  that  if  it  should  be 
that  he  lost  his  life  in  Africa,  no  man  was  to  think  that 
his  life  had  been  wasted.  As  for  the  lives  which  had 
been  already  given  for  this  cause,  they  were  not  lost, 
but  were  filling  up  the  trench  so  that  others  might  the 


2o6  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

more  easily  pass  over  to  take  the  fort  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord." 

After  the  sermon  he  found  a  great  crowd  waiting  out- 
side the  church  to  receive  him,  and  his  hand  was  wrung 
by  friends  and  acquaintances  who  formed  one  contin- 
uous double  line  all  the  way  to  his  own  house.  He  did 
not  get  away  from  their  embraces  until  past  midnight. 
Early  the  same  morning — for  he  saw  the  last  of  his 
friends  at  12.30  a.m. — he  left  for  the  docks  ;  but  as  the 
diary  here  becomes  more  circumstantial,  we  may  con- 
tinue the  narrative  in  his  own  words: 

^^  May  \ith. — Up  at  5  a.m.,  though  I  had  everything 
well  prepared.  Ah,  what  a  heavy  heart  I  had.  I  longed 
now  to  be  away,  for  the  worst  was  yet  to  come.  The 
pound  of  flesh,  blood  and  all,  must  be  cut  away.  First, 
my  dear  mother-in-law,  not  the  mother  of  my  youth,  but 
of  my  manhood,  loved  with  a  man's  affection.  She  re- 
mained in  her  own  room,  and  was  the  first  of  the  home 
circle  to  receive  the  stab.  How  brave  she  was;  and  she, 
of  all,  feels  that  she  has  least  chance  of  seeing  me  again. 
We  parted  calmly.  Next  my  boy,  Tom  Lewry,  who  has 
served  me  so  lovingly — he  wished  to  say  good-bye  to 
me  alone;  and  then,  passionatel}^  flinging  his  arms  around 
my  neck,  implored  me  not  to  leave  him.  Next  was  the 
meeting  at  family  prayers  ;  how  I  got  through  it  I  do 
not  know.  Then  dear  Mr.  Boxall  came,  so  faithful,  so 
silent.  Good-bye  to  him  meant  all  that  it  could  possibly 
convey.  Now  came,  of  all  my  affectionate  friends,  H.  B. 
For  a  month  I  had  seen  him  nearly  every  day;  and  every 
time,  I  think,  without  exception,  he  has  burst  into  tears 
about  my  going,  and  has  offered  to  work  his  passage  to 
Zanzibar  if  I  woiild  let  him  follow  me.  Now  my  most 
bitter  trial — an  agony  that  still  cleaves  to  me— saying 


^t.  34.]  Farewells.  207 

good-bye  to  the  little  ones.  Thank  God  that  all  the 
pain  was  on  one  side.  Over  and  over  again  I  thank  Him 
for  that.  *  Come  back  soon,  papa  ! '  they  cried.  Then 
the  servants,  all  attached  to  me.     My  wife  the  bravest 

of  all 

"  I  was  about  to  jump  into  my  brother's  carriage.  The 
publican's  son  (I  was  always  thought  to  be  the  publi- 
can's enemy)  crept  up,  and  thrust  a  letter  into  my  hand, 
a  pretty  book-marker,  and  a  text,  and  a  letter  written 
by  his  mother.  The  thing  that  broke  me  down  was 
passing  a  building.  The  roughest  of  the  rough  men, 
who  I  thought  would  have  had  a  holiday  to  rejoice  at 
my  departure,  left  work,  and  crowded  round  to  express 
their  sorrow  as  best  they  could;  several  were  at  the  train 
on  the  platform.  Then  came  two  hours'  quiet,  but  quiet 
just  then  to  me  was  terrible.  I  rushed  to  Salisbury 
Square  to  see  if  there  were  any  parting  message,  and  was 
well  rewarded  by  Wigram  saying :  '  I  felt  certain  that 
you  would  find  time  to  look  in  once  more  ;  you  are  ubiq- 
uitous.' How  the  Lord  helped  me.  Surely  if  I  wanted 
a  parting  sign  to  hasten  me  forward,  it  was  to  be  found 
in  the  great  support  He  gave  me.  I  had  thought  that 
preaching  in  a  crowded  church,  people  blocking  my  way 
along  the  road  and  clinging  around  me,  four  hours'  sleep, 
and  such  a  leave-taking,  would  have  given  me  a  severe 
headache  and  feeling  of  lassitude.  I  was,  however,  en- 
tirely free  from  any  bodily  pain  or  weariness,  and  I  had 
not  experienced  such  freshness  for  a  month.  The  foun- 
tain of  my  tears  seemed  held  back.  I  have  not  said  that 
dearest  Sam,  the  best  of  brothers,  came  with  me  to  Salis- 
bury Square.  He  had  been  skirmishing  about,  putting 
continual  extra  touches  to  my  already  comfortable  kit. 
Now,  from  Liverpool  Street  to  the  docks,  he  began 
emptying  his  pockets  of  money  and  forcing  little  articles 


2o8  James  Ha?tnington.  [A.D.  1882. 

of  comfort  upon  me.  Then  there  was  the  bustle  of  the 
ship,  and  the  saying  good-bye  on  the  part  of  others  to 
their  relations,  for  only  mine  were  allowed  to  go  as  far 
as  Gravesend.      Then  came   the   final   farewell  to  my 

brother I  watched  and  watched  and  watched  the 

retreating  tow-boat,  until  I  could  see  it  no  longer,  and 
then  hurried  down  below.    Indeed,  I  felt  for  the  moment 

as  one  paralyzed Now  was  the  time  for  re-action  ! 

No.  'Casting  all  your  care  upon  Him.'  ....  I  went 
below,  and  set  my  cabin  in  order  for  sea,  arranged  about 
prayers,  etc.,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  passed  so  rapidly 
that,  when  night  came,  I  scarcely  knew  it  was  gone. 
*  My  God,  how  tender  Thou  art ! ' " 


PART    II 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE     FIRST     MISSIONARY     JOURNEY. ZANZIBAR     TO 

MPWAPWA. 

(1882.) 

"  So  in  life  ;  if  some  wifeling  or  cliildling  be  granted  you,  well 
and  good ;  but  if  the  Captain  call,  run  to  the  Ship,  and  leave  such 
possessions  behind  you,  not  looking  back." 

EpiCTETUS. — Farrar  {^Seekers  after  God). 

As  Hannington's  journal  from  this  date  onward  is 
written  much  more  fully  and  consecutively,  and  is, 
moreover,  supplemented  by  long  letters  to  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  we  shall  be  able  to  continue  the 
narrative  to  a  great  extent  in  his  own  words.  He 
writes  : 

"  I  must  leave  the  farewells.  I  have  not  sufficient 
cold  blood  in  my  veins  to  make  red  ink  enough  to  write 
them. 

"  On  May  the  17th,  1882,  at  about  noon,  I  found  myself 
on  board  the  s.s.  Quetta,  a  fine  Clyde-built  ship  of  3,200 
tons,  and  began  to  make  inquiries  about  our  party. 
Mr.  Ashe  was  on  board,  but  nobody  seemed  to  know 
anything  about  the  others.  The  authorities  were  in  a 
great  state  of  perturbation,  as  time  and  tide  wait  for  no 
man.  I  could  not  help  feeling  a  little  nervous  when  I 
heard  that  we  were  to  start  for  Gravesend  without  them, 
and  leave  a  tug  in  which  they  might,  if  possible,  over- 
take us.  To  my  great  relief  they  came  steaming  up  be- 
hind us  about  an  hour  later."  In  a  letter  to  the  children 
he  adds  :  "  But  didn't  they  catch  it  from  one  Captain 

(211) 


212  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

Brown,  who  was  sent  to  look  after  them!  Brown  I 
They  say  he  was  blacky  and  his  tongue  the  same  color. 
And,  poor  things,  it  was  not  their  fault  at  all.  There 
had  been  an  accident  on  the  railway."     He  continues  : 

"  My  companions  were  the  Rev.  R.  P.  Ashe,  W.  J. 
Edmonds,  J.  Blackburn,  and  E.  C.  Gordon,  with  Mr.  C. 
Wise,  an  artisan.  I  had  also  on  the  ticket  the  names  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  W.  Lane,  who  were  bound  for  Mom- 
basa, and  Miss ,  a  bride  who  was  to  meet  her  bride- 
groom at  Zanzibar.  The  latter  was  placed  specially 
under  my  charge,  but  I  am  afraid  that  the  principal 
way  in  which  I  fulfilled  my  task  was  by  teasing  her  un- 
mercifully about  the  bride-cake,  which  I  unfortunately 
discovered  to  be  on  board. 

'*  We  had  not  many  fellow-passengers  on  board  the 
Quetta.  And  of  these  the  majority  were  going  to  the 
mission  field.  Ten  L.  M.  S.  men  for  Lake  Tanganyika, 
all  dissenters  of  different  shades  of  opinion,  though 
chiefly  Congregationalists.  There  was  also  a  Major 
Smith,  Secretary  of  the  Wesleyan  M.  S.,  travelling  for 
his  health,  and,  lastly,  a  Miss  Angus,  of  the  Baptist 
Zenana  Society.  We  thus  had  many  persuasions  repre- 
sented ;  and — will  you  believe  it  ? — we  all  dwelt  to- 
gether and  parted  in  peace  and  friendship. 

"  On  the  first  night  I  went  to  the  captain,  and  made  a 
request  for  public  prayers,  which  was  at  once  granted. 

"  Our  first  morning  we  held  a  C.  M.  S.  Council,  and 
have  mapped  out  our  day  as  follows  :  Private  devotions 
before  breakfast.  Prayer.  Then  Wise  is  to  read  with 
Ashe.  Edmonds,  Gordon,  and  Blackburn  take  the  boys, 
and  I  help  Lane.  The  rest  of  the  morning  is  spent  in 
studying  Swahili.*     After  lunch  we  have  a  meeting  for 

*The  language  of  the  coast,  and  widely  known  in  the  interior 
through  intercourse  with  the  traders. 


^t.  34.]  On  the   Way  Out.  2 1 3 

reading  and  prayer,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  is  to  be  im- 
proved as  we  best  may  be  able. 

"  We  have  a  little  pleasant  banter  with  the  L.  M.  S. 
men.  Their  expedition  is  fitted  out  so  much  more  ex- 
pensively than  ours.  They  eclipse  us  in  every  point. 
We  have  to  glory  in  the  fact  that  so  much  less  money 
has  been  expended  on  us,  when  we  would  have  been 
permitted  to  have  had  more,  had  we  desired  it.  I  feel 
sure  we  have  enough.*  Only  may  the  Spirit  of  God 
go  with  us  every  step  of  the  way. 

"  The  only  cloud  that  hangs  over  us  at  present  is  the 
unpleasant  suggestion  that  we  may  not  reach  Aden  in 
time  to  carry  on  our  cargo.  The  poor  bride  is  in  de- 
spair, as  the  bridal  outfit  is  in  the  hold  !  " 

Hannington  wrote  his  first  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  C.  M.  S.  from  the  Mediterranean,  and  says  :  "  Give 
me  as  much  advice  as  possible,  and  do  not  ever  hesitate 
to  point  out  my  faults  and  shortcomings  ;  in  so  doing, 
you  will  be  more  than  ever  my  friend.  Do  not  expect 
too  much  of  me.  It  may  be  that  my  share  of  the  work 
is  already  done.  I  think  most  highly  of  Ashe  ;  f  should 
I  fail,  you  will  be  better  represented.  God  be  praised 
for  raising  him  up  to  come  among  us." 

Hannington  was  always  ready  to  express  a  generous 
appreciation  of  the  merits  of  others.  In  his  letter  to  the 
Secretary,  he  has  a  special  word  of  commendation  for 
each  of  his  companions,  and  adds  with  regard  to  him- 
self, "  There  is  only  one  wretch  among  the  six,  and  if 
he  is  taken  away  it  will  be  no  great  loss." 

*  As  it  turned  out,  they  had  not ;  and  many  of  their  suflFerings 
were  due  to  want  of  a  few  extras. 

t  Mr.  Ashe  was  afterwards  stationed  in  U-Ganda,  where  he  has 
gone  through  the  troublous  times  which  followed  the  death  of 
Mtesa. 


214  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

At  Aden  the  whole  party  for  Central  Africa  were 
transported  into  "  a  dirty  old  vessel  called  the  Mecca  ; 
dirty  is  not  a  strong  enough  word,  so  I  must  use  jfi///iy. 
She  swarmed  with  cockroaches,  black  ants  and  bugs, 
and  was,  moreover,  dreadfully  overcrowded."  The  ves- 
sel was  only  1,200  tons,  or  less  than  half  the  size  of  the 
Quetta,  and  was  packed  with  passengers.  The  food,  ac- 
commodation, and  management  all  seem  to  have  rivalled 
each  other  in  badness.  They  soon  fell  in  v.'ith  rough 
weather  and  heavy  seas,  which  rendered  their  position, 
uncomfortable  before,  now  almost  intolerable.  Han- 
nington, old  sailor  as  he  was,  was  prostrated  with  sea- 
sickness. He  says  :  "  I  was  washed  down  to  leeward 
twice,  and  was  wet  for  three  days,  without  any  oppor- 
tunity of  changing." 

It  was  in  a  shattered  and  dilapidated  condition  that 
they  made  out  the  Island  of  Zanzibar,  on  June  19th, 
and  steamed  into  the  calmer  waters  of  the  sheltered 
roadstead. 

Soon,  he  sa3'^s,  "  Mr.  Stokes,  our  travelling  compan- 
ion, came  on  board,  and  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome.  He 
is  to  take  charge  of  our  caravan.  And  now  about 
Zanzibar.  I  had  been  prepared  to  find  a  disgusting 
place,  full  of  half-starved  slaves  and  beggars,  but  was 
never  more  agreeably  surprised  in  my  life.  I  do  not 
think  that  I  was  asked  for  anything  more  than  once. 
The  streets  are  narrow,  crooked,  weird,  and  some  of 
them  dirty,  but  not  half  so  bad  as  I  had  been  led  to  ex- 
pect. Not  worse,  I  should  say,  than  Genoa,  '  the  beau- 
tiful.' The  many  quaint  sights  more  than  atoned  for 
the  few  disagreeables.  Outside  the  town,  the  tropical 
vegetation,  often  standing  out,  on  a  gentle  slope,  against 
the  clear,  blue  sky,  or  backed  by  the  deeper  blue  of  the 
sea,  presented  wonderful  pictures  of  green  freshness." 


^t.  34-]  At  Zanzibar.  215 

Hannington  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  members  of  the 
Universities'  Mission,  by  whom  he  was  most  kindly  re- 
ceived and  welcomed.  He  says  :  "  I  preached  in  the 
Cathedral  on  Sunday  evening,  as  a  slight  return  for  the 
many  kindnesses  which  the  Universities*  Mission  have 
shown  us.  They  had  a  special  Communion  for  our  party 
in  the  morning." 

The  short  time  spent  at  Zanzibar  was  very  busily 
occupied  in  packing  and  preparing  for  the  journey.  Al- 
though Mr.  Stokes  had  relieved  Hannington  of  much  of 
the  trouble  of  collecting  porters  and  goods  for  the  in- 
terior, yet  the  Mission  stores  which  he  had  brought  from 
England  had  to  be  made  up  into  suitable  loads  of  fifty- 
five  or  sixty  pounds,  and  all  had  to  be  inventoried  and 
weighed  to  prevent  the  bearers  from  stealing  the  con- 
tents of  their  packs.  The  African  traveller  has  still  to 
go  about,  carrying  with  him  a  miscellaneous  assortment 
of  articles,  more  or  less  bulky,  with  v/hich  to  purchase 
food,  pay  tribute,  hire  extra  assistance,  etc.,  etc.  It  will 
be  indeed  a  blessing  and  an  economy  of  labor  when  the 
rupee  has  found  its  way  into  circulation  among  the 
tribes  of  the  interior. 

The  Zanzibari  are  notorious  for  their  dilatory  habits 
and  lethargic  indifference  to  the  hurrying  of  the  travel- 
ler impatient  to  be  gone.  They  made  no  exception  to 
their  rule  for  Hannington's  benefit.     He  writes  : 

"  This  is  the  style  of  thing.  At  6  a.m.,  you  want  a 
package  sewn  up  in  canvas.  A  man  promises  to  send 
for  a  Hindu  at  once.  You  wait  patiently  for  half  an 
hour,  then  you  think  that  you  had  better  go  and  see, 
and  you  find  that  he  did  not  realize  that  you  wanted 
him  so  quickly;  however,  he  will  now  send  at  once.  In 
fact,  you  see  the  messenger  start.     About  an  hour  later 


2i6  James  Haiuiington.  [A.D.  1882. 

he  enters  the  yard  and  you  jump  up.  He,  on  the  con- 
trary, sits  down  very  complacently,  and  wonders  why 
you  bounded  up  so  energetically.  You  explain  what 
you  want.  He  still  sits  and  looks  first  at  you,  then  at 
your  package,  and  measures  both  accurately  with  his 
intelligent  eye.  By  and  by  he  actually  rises  and  meas- 
ures the  package,  this  time  with  tape.  Then  he  once 
more  squats  and  chews  betel-nut  with  an  activity  that 
you  v/ish  he  would  apply  to  your  job;  and  then,  in 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  departs  to  get  his  needle 
and  thread,  promising  to  return  instantly.  It  is  now 
about  9.30,  and  you  are  summoned  to  breakfast,  for 
which  you  are  quite  ready.  On  your  arrival  up-stairs 
you  find  that  nobody  else  has  come,  so  you  drop  into 
the  empty  arm-chair,  and  wait  with  the  best  patience 
you  may  have.  In  an  hour's  time  the  party  has  assem- 
bled, expressed  its  various  apologies,  and  in  another 
hour  has  finished  its  breakfast.  On  your  arrival  in  the 
yard,  you  find  the  Hindu  has  arrived,  but  has  quietly 
waited  for  you  to  tell  him  where  to  begin.  So,  having 
stated  your  opinion  at  length  with  great  pains  and  with 
many  signs,  you  are  pleased  to  find  that  he  pooh-poohs 
your  notions,  and  prefers  his  own  way;  at  the  same  time 
he  reminds  you  that  it  is  now  noon,  the  hour  that  he 
dines,  and  that  he  will  return  afterwards,  i  p.m.,  lunch 
time.  At  2  o'clock  you  return,  package  progressing, 
but  just  at  that  moment  a  messenger  enters  the  yard;  the 
Hindu  is  especially  wanted  for  a  short  time.  It  is  quite 
3.30  before  that  package  is  finished.  Thus — and  some- 
times worse  than  thus — did  we  have  to  battle  our  way, 
bale  by  bale,  through  an  immense  amount  of  packing." 

Before  he  started  for  the  interior,  Hannington  sought 
an    interview  with    the   Sultan,  Seyyid  Barghash.     He 


^t.  34.]  Seyyid  Barghash.  217 

had  been  told  that  the  Sultan  was  becoming  alarmed  at 
the  large  number  of  European  missionaries  who  passed 
through  Zanzibar,  but  however  this  may  have  been, 
he  was  received  very  warmly  and  with  distinguished 
courtesy. 

Dressed  in  full  academicals — scarlet  hood  and  Mas- 
ter's gown — and  escorted  by  the  pro-Consul,  Col.  Miles, 
he  made  his  way  to  the  palace.  There  a  guard  of  honor 
was  drawn  up,  and  the  Sultan  came  down  into  the  square 
with  much  state,  and  greeted  the  young  English  clergy- 
man. He  then  led  the  way  up  those  steep  stairs,  which 
Mr.  Johnston  has  so  graphically  described,  into  his  re- 
ception-room. After  all  were  seated,  and  glass  cups  of 
coffee  and  sherbet  served,  the  Sultan  engaged  Hanning- 
ton  in  conversation  as  to  his  journey  and  its  object.  He 
writes  :  "  After  about  half  an  hour  the  Consul  said  we 
must  be  going,  otherwise  I  think  that  His  Highness 
would  gladly  have  prolonged  the  interview.  Conversa- 
tion never  flagged  for  a  moment,  although,  as  far  as  I 
was  concerned,  it  was  carried  on  through  an  interpreter. 
When  we  left,  he  rose,  led  the  way  into  the  square,  and, 
shaking  hands,  wished  us  good-bye.  He  was  very  in- 
terested in  our  expedition.  His  credulity  is  surprising. 
He  firmly  believes  in  a  gigantic  snake  in  U-Gogo,  which 
is  reputed  to  reach  to  the  sky,  and  to  devour  oxen  and 
women  and  children  whole  !  " 

Hannington  made  rapid  progress  with  his  study  of 
the  Swahili  language.  He  says  :  "  I  have  this  morning 
commenced  daily  prayers  in  Swahili.  Henry  Wright 
Duta,  the  baptized  Waganda  boy  attached  to  me,  read 
them.  The  study  which  I  gave  the  language  on  board 
has  been  of  immense  help  to  me.  Let  every  missionary 
be  urged  to  stick  close  to  the  language  he  has  to  learn 
on  his  journey  out,  in  spite  of  all  obstacles." 
10 


2i8  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882, 

When  all  was  ready  for  the  start,  Mr.  Stokes  first 
crossed  to  Saadani  *  with  the  greater  part  of  the  cara- 
van, and  on  the  next  day,  June  27th,  the  missionaries 
followed.     Hannington  says  : 

"  I  went  round  to  Mackenzie's  and  was  greeted  with 
'  You  can't  go  to-day.'  '  Why  not  ? '  '  Fifteen  men  have 
run  away,  and  they  must  be  looked  after.'  However,  on 
looking  over  Stokes'  letter  I  could  not  see  that  he  said 
they  were  to  be  hunted  up,  and  so  I  replied  that  we 
should  start  at  once.  Then  I  found  where  the  difficulty 
arose.  Raschid,  who  had  brought  the  letter,  wanted  a 
day  on  his  own  account,  which  I  soon  informed  him  he 
could  not  have.  I  ordered  a  dhow  for  noon,  and  by  in- 
tense energy,  actually  got  everything  ready  by  1.30. 

"I  am  not  going  to  describe  that  dhow.  It  was  as 
bad  as  most  other  dhows,  and  we  were  packed  so  close- 
ly that  if  one  fell,  there  he  had  to  lie.  When  we  arrived 
off  Saadani  we  found  that  the  tide  was  high  and  that 
the  shore  could  not  be  approached  nearer  than  half  a 
mile.  The  sea  was  pretty  rough,  and  as  we  grounded 
we  bumped  so  furiously  that  I  expected  the  poor  old 
dhow  would  have  gone  to  pieces.  Stokes  plunged 
through  the  breakers  from  the  shore  and  brought  out  a 
small  dug-out  canoe  which  was,  at  best,  a  quarter  full 
of  water.  I  preferred  a  swimming  to  a  foot-bath,  and 
so,  stripping  off  my  clothes,  and  putting  them  into  a  bag, 
unmindful  of  sharks,  I  waded  and  stumbled  over  the 
half  mile  of  sharp  coral  which  lay  between  our  vessel 
and  the  beach.  In  due  time,  after  repeated  voyages  by 
the  canoe,  we  all  got  safely  ashore,  and  found  our  tents 


*  The  channel  between  Zanzibar  and  the  mainland  is  about  thirty 
miles. 


^t.  34-]  First  Day  in  Camp.  219 

pitched,  and  a  tough   goat,  that   unfailing  accompani- 
ment of  an  African  meal,  awaiting  us." 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  getting  the  men  into  their 
places  and  organizing  generally.  On  the  following 
morning  at  sunrise  the  long  line  of  porters  wended  its 
way  along  the  narrow  track  which  led  toward  the  inte- 
rior. At  first  their  way  lay  through  country  which,  but 
for  the  tropical  nature  of  the  vegetation,  would  have  re- 
minded the  new-comers  of  a  path  through  an  English 
wood  ;  then  through  long  grass,  thickly  strewn  with 
mimosa  trees,  till  they  reached  their  first  camp  at 
Ndumi.  The  porters  were,  as  usual,  while  desertion 
to  the  coast  was  still  easy,  very  troublesome,  and  occa- 
sioned the  most  vexatious  delays  by  their  insubordina- 
tion and  sluggishness.  They  made  the  first  night  or 
two  hideous  with  their  cries  and  songs,  and  tried  to  get 
the  rest  out  of  which  they  had  thus  defrauded  themselves 
during  the  following  working  day.  Mr.  Stokes'  long 
experience  in  dealing  with  the  natives  here  proved  in- 
valuable, and  matters  mended  after  a  bit. 

At  Ndumi,  they  had  their  first  experience  of  the  hor- 
rors of  an  African  well.  "  You  might  cut  the  water  with 
a  knife.  An  English  cow  or  an  Irish  sow  would  have 
turned  from  it.  However,  it  boiled  well,  and  added 
body  to  our  tea  !  "  Writing  to  his  children  he  says  :  "I 
had  seen  '  green  tea,'  but  never  before  green  coffee.  I 
soon  grew  tired  of  grumbling  because  the  men  would 
bathe  in  our  drinking  water,  but  I  did  not  like  to  find 
there  dead  toads  and  other  animal  and  vegetable  putre- 
faction. Afterwards,  when  weak  and  ill,  I  used  to  avoid 
drinking  any  liquid.  I  have  been  three  and  even  four 
days  at  a  stretch  without  drinking  anything  at  all." 

On  Sunday  the  caravan  rested  at  a  camp  called 
Mkangi,  "a  beautiful   spot  where  we  greatly  enjoyed 


220 


James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 


our  quiet  Services.  We  also  had  two  Kiswahili  Services 
for  the  boys,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day  felt  much  re- 
freshed, and  ready  to  proceed  with  our  journey." 

On  the   8th   of  July  they  reached  the   river   Buzini. 
''  Loud  had  been  the  warnings  of  Stokes  that  we  should 
not  wade  through  the  stream  lest  we  should  take  fever. 
One  man,  at  least,  had  nearly  died  here  from  his  impru- 
dence in  this  respect.     In  consequence  of  this  we  were 
all  full  of  caution.     When  I  arrived  I  was  very  hot,  and 
should  not,  under  any  circumstances,  have  thought  of 
entering  the  water  until  I  was  somewhat  cooler.     The 
headmen  had  not  yet  come  up,  and  I  was  waiting  for 
them,  when  my  boys  volunteered   to   carry  me  across. 
This  was  a  task  clearly  beyond  their  powers  ;  but  the 
ambitious  Johar  was  not  to  be  denied.     He  seized  me 
and  bore  me  off  in  triumph.      When  we  got  into  the 
water  I  felt  an  ominous  totter  and  told  him  to  return. 
But  I  entreated  in  vain  ;  he  paid  no  heed.     More  stag- 
gering about,  and  entreaties,  but  all  to  no  purpose;  on 
he  pressed.      Swaying  to  and  fro  like  a  bulrush  in  a 
gale  of  wind,  I  clenched  my  teeth  and  held  my  breath. 
They  shouted  from  the  bank  for  Johar  to  return,  but  it 
had  not  the  slightest  effect  ;  he  felt  that  his  only  chance 
now  was  to  dash  right  on.     We  were  now  in  mid-stream, 

and  my  hopes  revived.     I  thought,  perhaps .     But 

the  water  grew  deeper,  the  rocks  at  the  bottom  became 
more  slippery,  the  stream  grew  stronger.  A  frantic 
struggle,  and  down  we  went  flat,  Johar  collapsing  like 
an  india-rubber  ball  punctured  by  a  pin.  Far  better 
would  it  have  been  for  me  had  I  walked  through,  for 
then  I  should  have  been  wet  merely  to  the  knees,  where- 
as now  I  was  soaked  from  head  to  foot.  Happily  I  did 
not  get  fever,  though  I  had  some  symptoms  of  it  short- 
ly after." 


^t.  34-]  "^  Forest  Fire.  221 

The  following  day  gave  them  a  taste  of  the  kind  of 
adventures  for  which  they  must  prepare  in  Africa.  It 
was  Sunday,  and  they  were  resting  after  the  services  of 
the  day,  when  Hannington,  who  was  busy  with  some 
sick  folk,  noticed  smoke,  and  soon  saw  that  the  high 
grass  around  the  camp  was  in  a  blaze.  Not  a  moment 
was  to  be  lost.  The  grass  was  as  dry  as  tinder  and  the 
encampment  was  in  the  utmost  danger.  All  hands  were 
called  up,  some  were  set  to  work  to  beat  down  the 
flames,  while  others  struck  the  tents  and  took  the  bag- 
gage to  a  place  of  safety.  "  It  was  splendid  to  see  the 
flames  and  to  hear  the  crackling  of  leaves  and  grass,  and 
the  shouting  and  screaming  of  the  excited  men."  After 
some  trouble  the  fire  was  beaten  out  and  the  men  re- 
turned to  camp  to  rest  themselves  after  their  exertions, 
or  seemed  to  do  so,  but  in  reality  they  nurtured  quite 
other  designs.  They  had  discovered  that  the  grass  had 
been  maliciously  fired  by  the  inhabitants  of  a  neighbor- 
ing village.  So  each  man  quietly  got  possession  of  his 
weapon — gun,  spear,  or  bow  and  arrows — and  stole 
away  to  take  vengeance  and  burn  that  village  to  the 
ground  ! 

A  whisper  of  this  reached  Mr.  Stokes'  ears,  and  at 
once  "  he  ran  off  as  if  he  were  shot,  crying  out  excitedly 
in  the  strongest  Irish  brogue,  '  Write  it  down  in  ye  dia- 
ries, gintlemin  ;  me  min  have  gone  to  burrn  the  village, 
and  I  can't  stop  thim.'  I  did  not  wait,"  says  Hanning- 
ton, "  to  get  out  my  note-book  to  jot  this  down  at  the 
time,  but  tore  after  him  as  fast  as  I  could,  and  we,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  headmen,  many  of  whom  are  chiefs, 
succeeded  in  stopping  them.  Only  one  man  had  been 
wounded  with  a  war-club  in  the  head.  I  took  him  back 
to  my  own  tent  and  bound  up  his  head,  and,  better  still, 
gave  him  a  dollar.     So  all  was  over  for  that  time.     Con- 


222  James  Haiinington.  [A.D.  1882. 

gratulating  ourselves  that  all  had  ended  so  well,  we  sat 
down  to  dinner.  But  we  had  more  in  store  for  us.  We 
were  discussing  some  of  the  never-changing  goat  soup, 
when  the  cry  of  fire  was  again  raised.  Off  we  dashed. 
This  time  the  fire  was  simply  terrific.  The  grass  grew 
far  over  one's  head,  and  there  were,  too,  a  number  of 
palm-trees  with  dead  leaves  attached  to  their  trunks, 
which  carried  the  flames  high  into  the  air.  These  con- 
flagrations can  only  be  got  under  by  following  them  up 
from  behind,  and  beating  them  with  green  boughs  down 
the  wind.  It  was  enough  to  make  one  shrink  and  quail 
to  dash  through  the  raging  furnace  to  reach  its  rear. 
But  through  we  went,  and  the  next  moment  the  battle 
began.  It  was  simply  glorious.  The  naked  figures  of 
the  men,  leaping,  yelling,  and  dashing  about  like  so 
many  hundred  demons  ;  the  roar  of  the  fire  almost 
drowning  the  cries  of  *  Piga  moto '  (Beat  down  the  fire); 
the  lambent  flames  and  the  dense  rolling  volumes  of 
smoke  formed  a  wonderful  plutonic  picture.  In  the 
midst  of  it  all  the  white  men,  scorched  and  dripping 
with  perspiration,  urged  on  the  workers  with  all  their 
lung  power.  While  the  confusion  was  at  its  height,  I 
came  across  Stokes,  who  had  attacked  the  enemy  from 
another  flank.  He  had  fallen  into  a  hole  and  was  rather 
badly  shaken,  and  did  not  get  over  it  for  some  time 
afterwards.     At  last  we  conquered." 

The  London  Missionary  Society  party  were  close  at 
hand,  as  the  two  caravans  journeyed  together  as  far  as 
Uyui.  This  was  not  always  an  advantage  to  either,  since 
it  was  hard  to  supply  so  large  a  body  of  men  with  food 
on  the  route  ;  but  on  the  present  occasion  the  conjunc- 
tion was  a  happy  one,  and  the  united  forces,  amounting 
to  some  five  hundred  men,  were  brought  to  bear,  all  to- 
gether, upon  the  common  enemy. 


JEt.  34.]  Mamboia — Mpwapwa.  223 

On  July  17th,  almost  all  the  party  were  visited  by  a 
worse  enemy  than  fire.  All  except  Mr.  Edmonds  were 
laid  low  by  the  dreaded  fever,  that  scourge  of  African 
travellers.  The  attacks  were  slight,  but,  in  Hanning- 
ton's  case,  often  repeated.  He  was  soon  to  make  a 
closer  acquaintance  with  this  and  other  of  the  horrors 
that  beset  the  southern  route  to  the  great  Lake. 

On  the  2ist  they  reached  Mamboia,  a  C.  M.  Station, 
where  they  were  heartily  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Last.  Hannington  describes  the  station  as  well  situ- 
ated : 

"  The  house,  or  bungalow,  is  prettily  placed  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  at  about  3,000  feet  above  sea-level, 
and  commands  most  extensive  and  beautiful  views. 
Immediately  on  the  west  side  rises  a  precipitous  cliff,  in 
which  a  grand  old  eagle  has  its  eyrie  ;  to  the  east  the 
mountains  form  an  amphitheatre,  and  bold  jutting  crags 
add  a  wildness  to  the  scene  ;  all  that  it  lacks  to  make  it 
surpassingl)^  beautiful  is  water. 

"  The  soil  is  most  productive,  and  the  climate  sub- 
Alpine,  so  that  our  English  vegetables  grow  to  great 
perfection.  The  flower-garden  in  front  of  the  house  was 
a  mass  of  geraniums,  nasturtiums,  petunias,  etc.  Next 
to  the  house  stood  the  Church — a  very  original  struc- 
ture. Circular  mud  walls  had  been  built  to  the  height 
of  about  six  feet,  which  were  covered  by  a  deep  sloping 
roof,  open  in  the  centre,  from  which  rose  wooden 
stanchions,  which  again  supported  a  cap-roof — thus  an 
open  space  was  left  between  the  two  roofs  for  ventila- 
tion. Pews  were  not  required.  The  congregation  pre- 
ferred to  sit  on  the  ground,  and  two  chairs  sufficed  for 
the  Europeans.  The  people  are  attentive  to  hear,  and 
send  their  children  to  the  school. 


224  James  Hamiington.  [A.D,  1882. 

"  On  the  25th  we  were  fain  to  proceed,  our  friends 
going  with  us  some  little  distance.  But  at  length  a 
river  sent  them  back.  With  many  heart-achings,  for 
partings  here  seem  hard  to  make,  we  said  farewell. 
With  one,  Mrs.  Last,  we  were  to  meet  no  more  on  this 
side  the  stream  of  death." 

The  next  station  was  Mpwapwa. 

On  the  way  thither,  Hannington  had  a  very  narrow 
escape  of  losing  his  life.  He  fell  into  one  of  those 
treacherous  pitfalls  which  the  natives  set  so  cleverly  for 
game.  His  gun  was  in  his  hand,  and  at  full  cock,  but 
he  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  let  himself  go,  and  think 
chiefly  of  his  rifle,  which,  happily,  did  not  explode.  His 
terrified  boy  peered  over  the  edge  with  dreadful  antici- 
pations, as  there  are  often  spears  at  the  bottom  of  such 
traps,  so  set  that  any  animal  falling  in  is  impaled.  He 
was  relieved  by  hearing,  *'  There  are  no  spears,"  and 
helped  his  shaken  and  bruised,  but,  providentially,  un- 
broken master  out.  This  pitfall  was  not  less  than  ten 
feet  deep. 

There  was  also  an  alarm  of  Ruga-Ruga  (robbers), 
which  excited  everybody,  but  when  they  saw  the  impet- 
uous white  man  rushing  to  the  front,  the  marauders 
fled,  and  left  him  master  of  the  field.  As  they  drew 
near  to  Mpwapwa,  Hannington  went  ahead  of  the  cara- 
van, and  pushed  forward  with  only  a  few  attendants,  as 
he  was  very  desirous  to  have  a  long  conversation  with 
Dr.  Baxter,  who  was  residing  there,  and  to  avail  himself 
of  his  knowledge  of  certain  facts  of  which  he  desii-ed  to 
inform  himself  accurately.     He  says  : 

"  The  others  did  not  reach  the  station  until  the  29th, 
but  I  made  a  double  m.arch,  and  arrived  there  on  the 
28th,  as  I  wished  to  have  as  much  time  as  possible  with 


Ml.  34.]  Mrs.  Coles  Sunday-School.  225 

Dr.  Baxter.     I  have  had  much  conversation  with  him  on 

the   subject   of   ,   but   have   not   received   any  very 

definite  advice.  Should  I  live  to  reach  my  destination, 
the  Lord  will  provide.  We  received  news  from  Copple- 
stone  of  the  sad  accident  to  Dr.  Southon,*  and  of  his 
amputating  his  arm.  The  brethren  at  Rubaga  were 
well  up  to  February  19th." 

At  Kisokwe,  near  Mpwapwa,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole  had 
established  themselves,  with  their  little  baby — the  latter 
an  object  of  wonder  and  delight  to  all  the  people  around, 
who  had  never  seen  a  white  baby  before.  Hannington 
says  in  one  of  his  diaries  : 

"  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole  are  earnest  and  devoted 
Missionaries.  Mrs.  Cole  has  a  large  Sunday-school 
Class.  Its  members  form  such  a  quaint  group !  I 
should  like  my  friends  at  home  to  look  in  upon  them 
some  Sunday  afternoon.  Some  were  very  gaudily  cloth- 
ed in  all  sorts  of  bright  colors,  some  merely  in  goat- 
skins. Others,  again,  were  red  with  war-paint,  and  car- 
ried bows  and  arrows  or  spears.  Altogether,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  queer  yet  picturesque 
group  of  children  ;  and  yet,  for  all  this  funny  appear- 
ance, they  were  very  respectful  and  orderly,  and  tried  to 
learn  the  great  lessons  which  Mrs.  Cole  endeavors  to 
teach  them  about  the  Saviour  of  the  world." 


*  Dr.  Southon,  of  the  L.  M.  S.,  had  been  shot  accidentally  by  his 
gun-bearer,  and  his  arm  shattered  above  the  elbow.  Mr.  Copple- 
stone,  after  many  days,  reached  him,  and  received  instructions  how 
to  amputate  the  limb.  Dr.  Southon  then  gave  himself  chloroform, 
and  the  operation  was  performed.  Though  he  had  never  attempted 
such  a  thing  before,  Mr.  Copplestone  carried  out  his  instructions 
very  skilfully  ;  but  the  operation  was  performed  too  late,  and  his 
patient,  to  the  great  loss  of  the  Mission,  died. 


226  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882, 

Writing  to  the  C.  M.  S.  Committee,  he  says  :  "  We  are 
resting  to-day,  Aug.  ist,  at  Khambe,  a  day's  march  from 
Mpwapwa.  The  reason  for  these  rests  is  that  we  are 
waiting  for  the  boat  to  gain  upon  us,  and  catch  us  up, 
in  order  to  save  hongo  (tribute).  But  I  do  not  person- 
ally believe  in  rests,  either  for  niasters  or  men,"  (The 
boat  had  been,  perforce,  left  behind,  through  lack  of 
porters  to  carry  it,)  "  We  have  now  some  very  hard 
work  before  us  ;  nearly  twenty-four  hours'  march  to- 
morrow." 

"  I  am  very  happy.  Fever  is  trying,  but  it  does  not 
take  away  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  and  keeps  one  low  in  the 
right  place" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MPWAPWA     TO     UYUI. 
(1882.) 

"  It  grieves  me,  too,  Lord  !  that  so  many  should  wander, 
Should  see  nought  before  them  but  desolate  night, 
That  men  should  be  walled  in  with  darkness  around  them, 
When  within  and  without  there  is  nothing  but  light." 

Faber. 

During  the  march  the  African  traveller  has  little  time 
or  opportunity  to  indulge  his  taste  for  collecting.  All 
through  the  weary  day  he  plods  steadily  on,  nor  dares 
to  loiter,  lest  he  should  fail  to  reach  his  camp  and  water- 
ing place  by  nightfall.  When  at  length  tents  are  pitched, 
and  camp-fires  lighted,  he  has  scarce  energy  to  write  up 
his  journal,  but  flings  himself  down  to  snatch  what  brief 
rest  he  can  before  the  inevitable  reveille  of  the  next  sun 
or  moon.* 

Hannington  made  the  best  of  his  time  during  the  short 
halt  near  Mpwapwa.  He  scoured  the  district  to  make  a 
collection  of  its  flora  and  fauna,  specimens  of  which  he 
preserved  and  packed  to  be  sent  home.  Much  of  this, 
and  what  follows,  he  describes  in  the  interesting  articles 
which  he  wrote  for  the  Churchman  in  1883-4.  We  shall 
not  attempt  to  catalogue  the  results  of  his  research,  or 
our  space  would  wholly  fail.  It  is  enough  to  say  that 
he  brought  back  with  him,  and  sent  to  the  British  Mu- 

*  This  when  crossing  desert  districts.  Even  on  days  when  tents 
are  pitched  at  10  or  11  A.M.  little  energy  is  left  to  brave  the  sun's 
rays  after  a  long  march  through  the  night  and  early  morning  hours. 

(227) 


228  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

seum,  a  large  collection  of  birds  and  insects,  and  that  a 
valuable  selection  of  mosses  and  plants  were  forwarded 
to  Mr.  Mitten,  of  Hurstpierpoint,  for  classification. 

While  hunting  for  specimens  at  Mpwapwa,  with  Dr. 
Baxter,  he  says:  **We  suddenly  came  into  the  midst  of 
an  enormous  caravan  of  black  ants,  and  although  we 
fled  as  fast  as  our  legs  would  carry  us,  we  suffered  se- 
verely. The  noise  these  ants  made  on  the  march,  as 
they  went  by  in  their  countless  myriads,  was  like  a  kind 
of  hissing  roar,  and  the  dry  bed  of  the  stream  in  which 
we  were  was  covered  with  them  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach." 

Hannington  was  well  bitten  on  this  and  many  subse- 
quent occasions,  but  his  zeal  for  collecting  was  not  to 
be  damped  by  any  such  trifling  misadventures.  While 
botanizing  on  the  Usagara  mountains,  he  encountered  a 
beautiful  but  most  malignant  bean,  the  pod  of  which  is 
densely  covered  with  short  red  hairs,  which  enter  the 
skin  and  cause  the  acutest  agony.  He  says  :  "  When  I 
first  seized  the  tempting  bait  I  was  nearly  driven  mad 
with  pain,  and  was  a  long  time  discovering  the  source 
of  the  mischief  ;  for,  unlike  the  nettle,  which  stings  at 
once,  this  venomous  pod  does  not  develop  its  evil  effects 
until  some  time  afterwards."  * 

He  described  to  me  an  ant  which  was  in  the  habit  of 
crawling  as  far  as  possible  up  the  leg  of  its  victim  be- 
fore biting  him,  when  suddenly  the  unfortunate  who 
was  thus  outraged  appeared  to  his  friends  as  though  he 
were  attacked  by  some  violent  and  uncontrollable  inter- 
nal pain,  as  he  clapped  his  hand  to  the  part  affected  and 
rushed  off  to  undress  and  dislodge  the  fiery  little  assail- 

*  This  pod  used  to  be  employed — perhaps  still  is — in  tormenting 
criminals.     Its  application  soon  produces  raving  madness. 


^t.  34.]  Sleeping  in  a  Dust-Heap.  229 

ant.     Truly  the  naturalist  in  Africa  needs  to  be  a  man 
of  courage  ! 

The  road  to  Khambe  lies  through  dense  forest  of  the 
shadeless  order,  and  over  very  stony  ground.  All  were 
thoroughly  tired  out,  and  looked  forward  to  rest  when 
they  reached  their  camping-ground.  When  they  had 
climbed  to  the  summit  of  the  Pass  above  Khambe  they 
Ijpoked  eagerly  down  and  searched  with  their  eyes  for 
the  tents,  but  no  camp  was  to  be  seen.  K  tempestuous 
wind  was  raging  below,  whirling  before  it  clouds  of 
dust.  The  camp-fires  had  all  been  scattered  and  ex- 
tinguished ;  the  men  had  taken  refuge  in  a  deep  trench 
which  formed  the  course  of  a  mountain  torrent  ;  nothing 
was  to  be  seen  but  the  long  driving  of  the  dusty  winds. 
Hannington  says  :  "  Tv/o  of  the  tents  were  already  down, 
while  the  others  were  fast  getting  adrift.  Volumes  of 
dust  were  swamping  beds,  blankets,  boxes,  buckets — 
everything  ;  a  more  miserable  scene  could  scarcely  be 
beheld  by  a  band  of  benighted  pilgrims.  There  was  no 
use  in  staring  at  it.  As  for  myself,  I  seized  a  hammer, 
and  set  to  work  on  the  tent  pegs,  and  soon  forgot 
that  I  was  tired.  By  and  by  we  got  things  to  rights, 
but  that  night  we  slept  in  a  dust-heap.  This  is  the 
kind  of  thing  all  the  way  through  U-Gogo.  It  is  bad 
enough  in  a  hot  climate  to  have  dust  in  your  hair  and 
down  your  neck  ;  but  when  every  mouthful  of  food 
grates  your  teeth,  I  leave  you  to  imagine  the  amenities 
of  tent  life  in  a  sandy  plain." 

From  Khambe  a  very  trying  march  of  forty  miles  lay 
before  them  across  the  desert  of  Marenga  Mkali  to  the 
next  halting-place  at  Pero,  the  frontier  town  of  U-Gogo. 
Darkness  fell  shortly  after  five  o'clock  with  that  sudden- 
ness peculiar  to  the  tropics,  and  which  Coleridge  has  so 
vividly  described  : 


230  James  Hminington.  [A.D.  1882. 

"The  sun's  rim  dips  ;  the  stars  rush  out ; 
At  one  stride  comes  the  dark." 

They  were  in  the  midst  of  dense  tangle  overhead, 
with  rough  stony  ground  below.  For  three  miserable 
hours  they  stumbled  onward,  not  without  many  cuts 
and  bruises,  until  eight  o'clock,  when  a  halt  was  called, 
huge  camp-fires  lighted,  and  a  few  hours'  sleep  obtained. 
At  I  A.M.  the  drum  summoned  the  sleepers,  and  the 
yawning  caravan  was  again  put  in  motion.  The  diary 
continues  :  "We  were  not  alone  in  this  desert  place.  I 
thought  that  I  heard  voices.  This  was  doubted  at  the 
time,  but  when  we  resumed  our  march  we  came  upon 
smouldering  fires  scarce  a  hundred  yards  distant.  When 
we  numbered  our  men  at  the  journey's  end  one  of  them 
was  missing,  and  the  search  partly  discovered  a  pool  of 
blood  where  he  had  evidently  been  killed.  He  must 
have  straggled  behind,  and  been  set  upon  and  robbed 
of  his  load." 

Their  adventures  were  not  yet  over.  "  When  the  sun 
rose,  and  the  heat  began  to  increase,  we  found  ourselves 
very  weary.  Presently  three  shots  were  heard,  and  the 
cry  of  *  Ruga-Ruga  !  '  (robbers)  ran  down  the  line  like 
wildfire.  The  men,  especially  the  warlike  Wa-Sukuma, 
roused  themselves  in  a  moment ;  their  headman  begged 
me  to  see  to  the  piling  up  of  the  loads  while  he  and  his 
chief  men  ran  to  the  battle.  What  a  transformation  ! 
Mild-eyed,  gentle-looking  blacks  appeared  as  altered 
men  ;  their  nostrils  were  dilated,  their  eyes  flashed  fire, 
and  every  muscle  quivered  with  excitement  as  they 
dashed  past  eager  for  the  fray.  It  was  more  than  1 
could  stand.  I  deputed  the  care  of  the  baggage  to 
more  peaceful  brethren,  seized  my  gun,  and  advanced 
toward  the  scene  of  action.  After  all  it  turned  out  to 
be  a  false  alarm.     A  disappointment  to  the  Wa-Sukuma! 


^t.  34-]  Fever.  231 

We  found  out  afterwards  that  it  was  a  got-up  thing  by 
the  wily  Stokes.  Seeing  that  the  men  flagged,  and  were 
nearly  worn  out,  he  thought  that  a  little  excitement 
might  have  a  good  effect ;  and  so  it  had.  Not  knowing 
the  imposture,  we  all  revived  and  marched  on  with  a 
will,  and  at  11.30  a.m.  reached  Pero." 

From  Pero  the  men  were  hard  to  move.  Much  per- 
suasion, and  the  promise  of  a  short  march,  got  them  as 
far  as  the  next  camp.  Here  "  the  water  was  desperately 
bad.  A  deep  well  was  the  only  resource,  and  this  was 
full  of  dead  toads  and  rats,  v.^hich  putrefied  there.  No 
filtering  or  boiling  availed  to  make  it  drinkable.  It 
smelt  abominably  ;  all  food  cooked  in  it  was  flavored  by 
it."  It  is  not  surprising  that  on  the  following  Sunday, 
August  the  6th,  Hannington  developed  symptoms  of 
fever.  He  determined  to  try  and  walk  it  off.  On  the 
previous  day  he  had  seen  three  lions,  and  had  followed 
them  into  some  dense  bush,  where  they  were  lost  ;  he 
now,  though  without  his  rifle,  turned  his  steps  in  that 
direction,  taking  Mr.  Gordon,  his  nephew,  with  him. 
He  had  not  gone  far  when  the  fever  laid  hold  upon  him, 
and  he  staggered  back  with  difficulty  to  his  tent.  That 
evening  his  temperature  reached  110°,  and  he  was  seized 
with  violent  rigors,  and  then  with  alarming  fainting  fits. 
The  others  were  most  kind  and  attentive,  and  the  hospi- 
tal donkey  was  made  ready  for  him  next  day.  However, 
he  insisted  that  he  was  able  to  walk,  and,  with  that 
wonderful  unselfishness  of  his,  in  a  land  where  every 
selfish  characteristic  of  the  traveller  seems  called  into 
active  play,  placed  a  weary  companion  upon  the  beast 
instead. 

The  next  camp  was  little  better.  A  frightful  stench 
pervaded  the  air,  as  of  animal  putrefaction.  They 
named  it  "  Dead  Man's  Camp."     Here  Hannington  was 


232 


Jajiies  Hannington, 


[A.D.  1882. 


again  put  on  the  rack  by  another  terrible  attack  of  fever. 
He  says  :  "  Fever  is  not  always  agonizing,  but  some- 
times, as  on  the  present  occasion,  it  is  accompanied  by 
violent  sickness,  intense  pain  in  every  limb,  and  burning 
thirst.  I  had  nothing  to  drink,  and  my  tongue  was  so 
hard  and  dry,  that  when  I  touched  it  with  my  finger,  it 
made  a  noise  like  scraping  a  file."  As  he  could  not  be 
allowed  to  remain  there,  and  was  now  too  feeble  to 
stand,  he  was  placed  in  a  hammock  and  carried  by  two 
men. 


Even  in  the  midst  of  intense  suffering  he  never  lost 
his  sense  of  the  humorous. 

He  says  :  "The  curiosity  of  the  natives  in  these  parts 
was  unbounded  ;  they  swarmed  round  our  tents  from 
morning  to  night.  The  men  were  quite  naked,  but  for 
a  short  cloak  of  goat-skin,  which  reached  to  the  waist, 
and  their  bodies  besmeared  with  red  ochre.  The  women 
were  clothed,  and  covered  with  copper  and  iron  chains, 
which  were  quite  becoming.  The  lobes  of  their  ears 
were  distended,  and  made  to  hold  all  sorts  of  things, 
from  an  old  cartridge-case  to  a  block  of  wood  as  large 
as  the  cork  of  a  gooseberry-bottle.     Sometimes  the  lobes 


^t.  34.1  The   Wa-gogo.  233 

break  down,  so  that,  to  their  immense  regret,  they  can 
wear  nothing  in  them.  I  have  often  been  asked  to  mend 
their  ears  ;  but,  although  I  could  easily  have  done  it  by 
nipping  off  the  ends  where  they  were  broken  and  bind- 
ing them  together,  I  always  refused  to  encourage  their 
vanity. 

"The  inquisitive  Wa-gogo  followed  us  in  swarms  as 
we  marched,  like  the  people  at  home  running  after  a 
drum-and-fife  band.  The  vexing  part  of  it  was  that  they 
seemed  to  think  us  far  more  curious  that  they  were  and 
not  nearly  so  enlightened,  or  civilized,  or  fashionably 
dressed.  Nor,  indeed,  were  we  in  those  parts.  But  that 
was  not  easy  to  recollect." 

The  sketch  represents  his  tent.  One  native,  v/ho  can- 
not get  a  view,  is  supposed  to  be  saying  :  ''  I  shall  abide 
my  time  ;  I  daresay  he  isn't  worth  much";  while  from 
the  crowd  issue  cries  of  "  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  crea- 
ture ?  "  "  No,  we  never  did  !  !  !  "  "  What  are  those 
things  on  his  eyes  ?  are  they  horns  growing  ?  "  To  his 
young  friends  at  home  he  wrote  :  "  Fancy  a  set  of  hide- 
ous savages  regarding  your  uncle  as  a  strange,  outland- 
ish creature,  frightful  to  behold  !  '  Are  those  your  feet, 
Whiteman  ? '  *  No,  gentlemen,  they  are  not.  They  are 
my  sandals.'  'But,  do  they  grow  to  you  feet?'  'No, 
gentlemen,  they  do  not;  I  will  show  you.'  So  I  would 
unlace  a  boot.  A  roar  of  astonishment  followed  when 
they  saw  my  blue  sock,  as  they  thought  my  feet  must 
be  blue  and  toeless.  I  pulled  off  the  sock,  and  they 
were  dumfounded  at  the  sight  of  my  white,  five-toed 
foot.  They  used  to  think  that  only  my  face  and  hands 
were  white,  and  the  rest  of  me  black  like  themselves. 
My  watch,  too,  was  an  unfailing  attraction.  'There  is 
a  man  in  it.'  'It  is  Lubari  ;  it  is  witchcraft,'  they  would 
cry.     '  He    talks  ;  he   says  Teek,  teek,  teek.'     My  nose 


234  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

they  would  compare  with  a  spear,  it  struck  them  as  so 
sharp  and  thin  as  compared  with  their  own.  Often  one 
would  give  my  hair  a  smart  pull  to  try  whether  it  were 
a  wig,  and  would  come  off." 

The  Wa-gogo  have  an  ill  repute  for  their  ti'eatment  of 
travellers,  but  Hannington  took  a  decided  fancy  to  them, 
and  thought  that  he  saw  in  them  certain  manly  char- 
acteristics which  might  be  won  to  the  service  of  his 
Lord.  He  noted,  however,  that  as  yet,  though  they 
watched  the  white  men  at  worship,  they  themselves 
showed  little  or  no  interest  in  the  Gospel  message. 

He  writes:  "By  the  21st  of  August  we  had  passed 
through  U-Gogo  without  having  paid  hongo  (tribute),  a 
triumph  of  African  travel."  The  system  of  blackmail- 
ing is  one  of  the  great  hindrances  to  travel  in  the  in- 
terior, and  is  a  heavy  tax  upon  both  the  time  and 
resources  of  a  caravan.  On  this  occasion  Mr.  Stokes 
tried  a  new  route,  and  they  escaped  without  the  usual 
trouble. 

By  the  commencement  of  September  the  caravan  was 
within  a  short  distance  of  Uyui,  where  there  is  a  C.  M. 
Station.  During  the  whole  time  Hannington  had  never 
been  free  from  fever,  but  he  had  marched  resolutely  on, 
and  kept  determinedly  to  his  own  feet  so  long  as  they 
would  carry  him.  He  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  party, 
and  never  let  his  companions'  spirits  flag.  This  is  how 
he  describes  the  incidents  of  a  march  : 

"Take  it  as  a  rule  you  start  at  sunrise,  which  is  often 
so  gorgeous  that  it  defies  description.  During  the  early 
hours  herds  of  antelope  bound  into  the  thicket  at  your 
approach.  Wild  boar,  giraffe,  fresh  tracks  of  elephants, 
but  never  elephants  themselves,  are  met  with. 

"Presently  you  enter  dense  tangle,  so  thick  that  it 


^t.  34.]  Incidents  of  a  March.  235 

seems  to  defy  even  the  wild  beasts  to  penetrate  it.  No 
view  is  to  be  had.  The  pathway  itself  is,  at  times,  quite 
hidden;  and  yet,  in  the  dry  season,  the  leafless  boughs 
form  no  protection  against  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun. 
Now  we  come  upon  the  dry  bed  of  a  pool,  and  I  dis- 
cover a  shell  that  I  have  nevef-  seen  before.  It  con- 
siderably enlivens  me,  and  the  next  mile  passes  v/ithout 
a  murmur. 

"  Then  a  shriek  of  joy.  'Elephants?'  *  No,  or  I  should 
not  have  made  a  noise  ! '  '  Giraffe  ? '  *  No.'  '  Water  ?  ' 
'No.'  'Well,  whatV  'A  Tortula.'  'What's  that?  A 
snake  ?'  '  No  ;  a  moss  ;  haven't  seen  a  vestige  of  moss 
for  a  hundred  miles.'  -'O/i/'  v/ith  an  emphasis  that  no 
explanation  will  exactly  convey.  Afterwards,  '  Ona 
Bwana,  mbuzu  ! '  ('  See,  master,  a  baobab  tree.')  Ah, 
yes,  sure  enough,  standing  out  in  solitary  grandeur, 
there  it  is,  and  that  means  water,  and  a  halt  for  the 
night." 

On  August  26th  he  writes  :  "  Gordon  and  I  started 
early  to  take  advantage  of  the  cool  hours.  We  saw 
many  nice  sights  which  we  should  otherwise  have 
missed,  as  the  beasts  were  still  moving.  More  than  once 
hyaenas  of  the  yellow  variety  crossed  our  path,  nor  did 
they  appear  to  notice  us.  By  and  by  we  came  upon 
skulls,  broken  boxes,  and  other  signs  of  a  fight  with 
robbers.  An  eagle  flapped  lazily  across  the  path.  He, 
too,  had  had  his  share  of  the  spoil  ;  and  of  the  fight 
also — for  he  would  have  to  battle  for  his  portion  with 
the  jackals  and  hyaenas.  It  was  a  ghastly  sight,  and  in- 
clined us  for  a  moment  to  think  that  it  might  be  wise 
to  wait  until  the  caravan  came  up." 

On  the  30th,  they  rested  for  a  day  at  Itura.  The 
Wanyamwezi  women  determined  to  honor  them  with  a 


236  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

national  dance,  and  as  Hannington  was  Bwana  Mkubwa 
(great  master),  they  arranged  themselves  in  ranks  before 
his  tent  for  the  purpose.  They  danced  him  nearly  to 
death.  No  remonstrances  availed.  They  never  seemed 
to  tire,  but  the  chanting  and  drumming  went  on  inces- 
santly, hour  after  houi*,  till  he  says,  "  one  grew  pale  with 
the  ceaseless  thudding  of  the  drums." 

When  at  length  the  dance  was  over,  Hannington  sol- 
emnly displayed  to  the  assembled  women  a  doll  which 
a  friend  had  sent  him,  and  undressed  it  before  their  de- 
lighted eyes.  They  were  charmed  to  see  thus  practically 
illustrated  the  manner  in  which  English  ladies  clothe 
themselves,  and  the  multitude  and  variety  of  their  white 
sisters'  habiliments. 

On  the  31st,  another  Pori,  or  forest  desert,  of  about 
eighty  miles,  lay  before  them.  As  far  as  the  eye  could 
see  were  tall,  thin,  and  shadeless  acacia  trees,  and  hard- 
baked  soil  which  threw  back  the  rays  of  the  sun  with 
terrific  force.  On  Sept.  2d,  while  still  painfully  plod- 
ding through  this  Pori,  as  there  was  a  full  moon,  a  start 
was  made  at  midnight  to  avoid  the  intense  heat.  Han- 
nington brought  up  the  rear,  to  keep  the  men  from 
straggling.  "  At  last,"  he  says,  "  they  got  a  little  trouble- 
some. I  said  to  a  man  who  persisted  in  loitering,  'Very 
well  ;  then  I  shall  leave  you  to  be  eaten  by  lions.'  A 
moment  or  two  after  I  heard  a  shot,  and  then  another, 
with  yells  and  shouts.  Of  course,  I  thought  that  the 
dreaded  Ruga-Ruga  were  upon  us,  and  so  rushed  for- 
ward, forgetting  my  gun,  which  my  boy  was  carrying 
behind  me.  The  firing  and  yelling  increased  as  I  neared 
the  front,  and  I  seized  a  gun  from  the  retreating  form 
of  Duta,  and  pressed  on.  Then  I  found  that  the  com- 
motion was  caused  by  a  lion  who  was  enjoying  his  sup- 
per in  the  bushes  before  us,  close  to  the  path,  and  who, 


JEt.  34.]  A  Lion- Adventure.  237 

in  spite  of  the  uproar  and  firing,  refused  to  budge  an 
inch.    I  begged  the  men  to  be  calm,  and  taking  my  own 
gun,  advanced  for  a  shot ;  but  they  danced  round  me, 
shouted  to  me  to  come  back,  and  one  even  seized  my 
coat-tails.     I  turned  quite  rusty  at  this,  and  pushed  the 
stupid  man  aside.     Two  of  the  white  men  now  took  to 
the  trees,  when  they  saw  that  I  was  in  earnest,  and  most 
of  the  black  men  followed  them.     The  other  two  white 
men,  Ashe  and  Gordon,  determined  to  abide  with  me 
and  share  my  fate ;  the  former  armed  with  a  revolver, 
the  latter  with  his  umbrella  !      Of   all  lion-adventures 
that  I  have  heard  of,  this  was  about  the  most  laughable. 
There  was  the  lion,  very  wroth,  like  a  dog  with  his  bone. 
There  was  I,  with  my  valiant  body-guard  in  line  behind 
me.     There  were  the  others,  thickly  clustered  upon  the 
trees,   like  so   many  crows.     I    was    preparing   to    fire, 
when  in  rushed  a  black  boy,  and  discharged  his  gun 
wildly  in  the  lion's  direction.    Happily  he  missed,  though 
the  bullet  went  close  to  where  the  lion  lay.     I  saw  him 
move  and  drag  his  pre}^  further  into  the  jungle,  where 
we   lost  sight  of  him,   though  we  could   still   hear  his 
deep  growlings.     My  two  friends   refused  to  leave  me. 
I  felt  competent  to  avoid  the  charge  of  the  beast  myself 
if  he  were  wounded,  but  could  not  look  out  for  them  ; 
so  I  sorrowfully  turned  away,  feeling  that  a  grand  op- 
portunity had  been  lost.     After  this  there  was  no  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  the  stragglers  together.     Their  fatigue 
suddenly  disappeared,  and  they  packed  together  like  a 
flock  of  sheep." 

After  a  long  and  painful  march  which  taxed  their 
powers  of  endurance  to  the  utmost,  they  reached  the 
Mission  Station  of  Uyui  on  the  4th  of  September.  Here 
Hannington  was  seized  with  dysentery,  and  during  the 
next  ten  days   was  brought  to  the  very  door  of  death. 


238  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

The  Jesuit  priests  at  Unyanyembe  (the  spot  where  Liv- 
ingstone and  Stanley  parted)  prescribed  an  injection  of 
carbolic  acid,  which  for  a  time  relieved  the  most  dis- 
tressing symptoms,  but  nothing  seemed  to  avail  per- 
manently. 

On  the  evening  of  the  13th  the  other  members  of  the 
Mission  met  in  council.  Hannington  lay  in  his  bed, 
anxiously  and  prayerfully  awaiting  their  decision  with 
regard  to  him.  He  hoped  against  hope  that  he  might 
still  be  able  to  proceed  to  the  Lake.  After  long  delibera- 
tion, they  announced  to  him  the  result  of  their  consul- 
tation. He  was  to  be  left  behind  at  Uyui  whilst  the 
others  went  forward  without  him.  He  says  :  "  This  de- 
cision came  as  a  tremendous  disappointment;  but  I  had 
expected  it,  and  received  it  as  an  oracle  from  heaven." 
On  the  15th  they  left,  and  he  remained  in  the  brotherly 
hands  of  Mr.  Copplestone,  and  under  the  special  charge 
of  his  nephew,  Cyril  Gordon. 

During  his  sickness,  Ngembi,  the  chief  of  the  district, 
called.  Hannington  made  a  great  effort  to  sit  up  and 
receive  him.  He  made  him  a  present  of  a  dressing- 
gown  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  as  the  chief  had  heard 
that  both  Mirambo  and  Mtesa  had  been  officially  recog- 
nized by  the  Europeans,  whereas  he  had  been  neglected. 
Hannington  writes  :  "  He  is  chief  of  a  large  and  im- 
portant district,  but  is  a  great  drunkard,  and  difficult  to 
get  on  with,  yet  wonderfully  improved  of  late.  He  is 
very  frightened  at  the  comet ;  and  a  conversation  about 
this  gave  Copplestone  an  opening  again  to  put  the  Gos- 
pel before  him." 

During  the  interview,  however,  Hannington  sat  in  a 
draft,  and  the  consequence  was  that  an  old  enemy  of 
his,  acute  rheumatism,  set  in,  which  in  a  few  days  turned 
to  rheumatic  fever.    This,  on  top  of  his  fever  and  dysen- 


^t.  35.]  His  Illness  at   Uyui.  239 

tery,  reduced  him  to  the  lowest  ebb  ;  it  seemed  impos- 
sible that  he  could  recover.     He  says: 

"Let  me  bear  witness  to  Gordon's  extreme  attention 
and  kindness,  in  nursing  me  night  and  day.  He  would 
not  let  me  die.  On  Oct.  15th  dysentery  returned;  I  was 
desperately  ill,  and  in  such  agony  that  I  had  to  ask  all 
to  leave  me  and  let  me  scream,  as  it  seemed  slightly  to 
relieve  the  intense  pain.  In  this  state,  I  said  to  Gordon, 
'Can  it  be  long  before  I  die?'  His  answer  was,  'No; 
nor  can  you  desire  that  it  should  be  so.'  " 

I  have  received  a  most  interesting  letter  from  Mr.  Cop- 
plestone  which  refers  to  this  period.     He  writes: 

'*  Mr.  Stokes  had  been  loud  in  his  praises  of  our  friend, 
so  that  I  was  in  some  measure  predisposed  in  his  favor, 
and  an  openness  and  freeness  sprang  up  at  once  between 
us.  The  day  after  his  arrival  he  went  to  my  well  and 
drank  two  glassfuls  of  the  water,  which  he  found  very 
cold  and  refreshing.  But  we  had  not  the  slightest  doubt 
afterwards  but  that  that  water,  delicious  as  it  was,  was 
the  cause  of  that  long  and  protracted  illness  which  took 
so  many  painful  forms,  and  eventually  necessitated  his 
reluctant  return  to  England.  His  illness  came  on  so 
suddenly  and  was  so  severe  that,  for  days,  we  thought 
that  he  could  not  recover.  We  placed  him  in  a  comfort- 
able room  which  I  had  built  for  a  school.  On  the  de- 
parture of  Stokes,  Ashe,  and  Wise  for  the  Lake,  he  was 
removed  to  my  house,  occupying  the  guest-room,  and 
thus  conferring  upon  me  the  honor  and  privilege  of 
having  him  and  dear  Gordon  as  guests  for  six  weeks. 

"  I  did  not,  however,  get  to  understand  him  properly. 
There  was  a  something  in  his  character  which  I  could 
not  get  to  the  bottom  of.  I  did  not  then  hold  the  key 
to  his  life.     Although  so  weak  and  ill,  he  was  very  sel- 


240  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

dom  still  and  never  idle.  I  often  wondered  why  he  did 
not  rest  more.  When  compelled  to  keep  to  bed  he  did 
his  best  to  paint  what  flowers  Gordon  might  bring  in  to 
him  from  our  rambles.  As  often  as  he  could  he  would 
sit  up,  always  at  work  at  writing  or  painting.  One  thing 
he  did  was  to  draw  up  a  small  book  of  information  for 
the  guidance  of  men  who  should  leave  home  for  Africa, 
and  for  the  Committee.  From  the  very  commencement 
he  was  bent  upon  making  the  best  possible  use  of  the 
knowledge  and  experience  which  he  had  gained. 

"  I  have  a  distinct  remembrance  of  one  of  the  few  walks 
which  he  was  able  to  take  with  myself.  'Copplestone,' 
he  said,  '  I  do  not  think  that  I  can  recover  from  this  ill- 
ness. Let  us  go,  that  we  may  choose  a  place  for  my 
grave.'  So  we  went,  and  he  selected  a  spot  where  he 
said  we  were  to  bury  him.  He  did  not  expect  that  he 
could  live  long  iiv  such  a  state  as  that  in  which  he  then 
was.  ^''- 

"  His  stay  with  me  was  a  real  blessing.  His  spirit- 
uality was  very  deep.  Oftentimes  he  would  say,  'Come, 
Copplestone,  sing  me  one  of  your  consecration  hymns.' 
His  favorite  was,  '  I  am  coming  to  the  Cross.'  Nearly 
every  night  we  would  have  a  special  time  of  prayer  to- 
gether before  retiring  to  rest.  Yes,  those  were  hallowed 
times,  never  to  be  forgotten. 

"  The  return  of  Stokes  to  Uyui,  after  his  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  reach  the  Lake  by  the  old  route,  and  his  de- 
parture again  via  Urambo,  took  away  my  friend,  for  he 
insisted  that  he  should  go  forward,  though  he  should  be 
carried  the  whole  way.  I  accompanied  them  as  far  as 
Urambo,  to  see  Mirambo,  the  chief,  about  securing  a 
road  through  his  newly-acquired  country,  to  the  south 
end  of  the  Lake,  I  spent  a  night  at  their  camp  at 
Kwandi,  and  went  some  distance  into  the  jungle,  and 


■^t.  35.]  Mr.   Copplcstonc  at  Martinhoe.  241 

bade  him  good-bye  in  the  best  of  spirits,  though  very- 
weak  in  body.     He  was  then  being  carried. 

"  I  did  not  again  meet  him  until  after  his  return  to 
England,  and  found  in  him  an  irresistible  desire  to  return 
to  Africa.  At  this  I  was  not  surprised,  and  not  very 
much  so  when  I  heard  the  report  that  there  was  a  prob- 
ability of  his  being  consecrated  Bishop  of  Central  Equa- 
torial Africa. 

"  I  have  said  above  that  I  could  not  understand  much 
of  what  I  saw  in  the  Bishop  when  at  Uyui,  and  that 
because  I  had  not  then  the  key  to  his  life.  This,  how- 
ever, was  given  me  in  some  measure,  when  on  a  visit  to 
Hurst;  but  more  definitely  during  a  week  I  spent  with 
him  at  Martinhoe  after  his  consecration. 

"  He  appeared  to  have  such  an  open,  frank  careless- 
ness ;  and  when  I  saw  him  at  Hurst,  and  the  way  in 
which  he  went  about  there,  it  was  clear  to  me  that  there 
was  something  more  than  ordinary  in  him,  and  an 
amount  of  originality  about  him  that  made  him  different 
from  many  other  men.  The  earnestness  with  which  he 
carried  on  the  work  of  his  parish  corresponded  with  the 
longing  desire  after  the  welfare  of  his  people  which  I 
had  seen  in  him  when  in  Africa. 

"The  young  men  appeared  devoted  to  him.  He  was 
one  who  could  come  down  to  their  level,  and  make 
himself  one  with  them,  and  from  his  influence  over  them 
I  could  see  clearly  that,  like  David,  he  bowed  their  hearts 
like  one  man. 

"  He  invited  me  to  spend  a  fevv^  days  at  Martinhoe.  On 
the  appointed  day  we  met  at  Exeter.  There  were  with 
him  Mr.  Ireland  and  Cecil  M'Gillivray,  a  native  teacher 
of  the  Universities'  Mission  at  Zanzibar,  of  whom  the 
Bishop  was  very  fond.  Among  our  many  rambles  over 
the  cliffs  and  by  the  shore,  he  took  us  one  day  to  visit 
II 


242  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882, 

the  caves  which  he  had  discovered  in  former  days,  when 
he  was  a  pupil  with  Mr.  Scriven.  We  were  caught  by  the 
tide.  It  was  delightful  to  watch  the  dear  Bishop  spring- 
ing over  the  rocks  and  through  the  pools,  and  finally  he 
had  to  take  off  his  coat  as  well  as  ourselves,  and  almost 
swim  in  order  to  reach  his  *  Jacob's  Ladder.' 

"  Wherever  he  went  he  always  had  a  warm  welcome 
from  old  friends,  and  the  poor  people  were  continually 
showering  grateful  blessings  upon  him  as  he  passed.  The 
secret  was,  I  am  sure,  his  true  sympathy  and  endeavor 
to  make  himself  one  with  them  ;  and  grandly  he  suc- 
ceeded. I  think  it  was  the  day  before  we  left  that  he 
invited  about  a  dozen  of  the  old  women  to  a  sumptuous 
farewell  tea.  And  before  they  left  he  had  readings  of 
the  Word  and  gave  them  a  homely  address." 

I  have  quoted  this  letter  farther  than  its  immediate 
reference  to  Uyui,  because  it  throws  light  upon  Han- 
nington's  character  and  goes  to  prove  how  essential  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  him  was  to  the  right  under- 
standing of  his  rare  nature. 

The  caravan  in  the  charge  of  Mr.  Stokes  had,  in  the 
meanwhile,  gone  some  distance  along  the  old  road  to 
the  Lake,  when  the  natives  endeavored  to  extract  an 
extortionate  hongo,  and  to  enforce  its  payment  by  arms. 
Mr.  Stokes  paid  their  demand,  but  very  wisely  refused 
to  proceed,  and  returned  to  the  chief  of  the  district 
with  a  complaint  of  their  breach  of  faith.  The  chief, 
who  had  received  his  tribute,  and  v/as  responsible  for 
their  safe  conduct,  was  very  angry,  and  demanded  the 
return  of  the  hongo  from  the  tribesmen.  While  this 
dispute  was  pending,  Mr.  Stokes  brought  the  caravan 
back  to  Uyui,  and  determined  to  approach  the  Lake  by 
a  different  route.* 

*  It  appears  also  that  hongo  was  demanded  in  guns  and  powder, 


^t.  35.]  "  I  shall  Live  and  not  Die!'  243 

In  Hannington's  diary  is  the  following  entry  : 

"  Oct.  6th. — Slightly  better,  but  still  in  very  great  pain. 
To  our  immense  surprise  Stokes  turned  up  early  this 
morning.  When  I  heard  his  voice  I  exclaimed,  '  I  shall 
live  and  not  die.'  It  inspired  me  with  new  life.  I  felt 
that  they  had  returned  that  I  might  go  with  them." 

Again  a  consultation  was  held.  This  time  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Mission  were  divided  in  opinion.  The  ma- 
jority, however,  held  that  their  leader  was  different  to 
other  people,  and  that  his  iron  will  might  possibly  pull 
him  through,  where  a  man  of  less  strength  of  purpose 
would  be  doomed  to  failure.  A  hammock  was  prepared, 
and  it  was  decided  that  he  should  accompany  them  to 
the  Lake. 

which  is  a  kind  of  tribute  which  the  agents  of  the  C.  M.  S.  always 
consistently  refuse  to  pay. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

UYUI    TO    THE    VICTORIA    NYANZA. 

(1882.) 

"  His  soul  is  too  fresh  with  heaven  to  take  the  world's  point  of 
view  about  anything.'' — Letter  frotn  Mrs,  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

Writing  to  Mr.  Wigram  from  Uyui,  just  before  his 
departure,  Hannington  says  : 

"  Do,  my  dear  sir,  forgive  me  for  writing  so  much 
about  myself  and  so  little  about  the  others.  My  severe 
and  repeated  illnesses  have  made  me  think  too  much  of 
myself,  I  fear,  as  if  I  were  the  centre  of  interest  instead 
of  those  who  are  strong  and  healthy,  and  likely  to  carry 
on  the  work.  They  are  the  centre  of  our  hopes,  and  it 
is    they  whose    movements    should    be    described.     An 

empty  bottle  on  the  shelf  requires  no  description 

I  have  decided  to  go  on  the  day  after  to-morrow,  .... 
but  I  am  prepared  to  be  careful  and  to  go,  as  we  say 

out  here,  '  Pole  pole  '  (gently) I  close  with  words 

of  hope.     I  am  better ;  full  of  joy,  and,  I  hope,  of  praise 
to  my  God." 

On  Oct.  14th  the  messenger  sent  to  recover  the  hongo 
which  had  been  extorted  from  the  caravan  returned, 
bringing  with  him  all  the  bales  of  cloth,  except  one 
which  had  been  opened.  The  people,  under  pressure 
from  their  suzerain,  offered  eight  cows  in  place  of  the 
missing  bale,  and  thus  the  dispute  was  most  happily 
arranged. 

(244) 


^t.  35.]  Carried  in  a  Hammock.  245 

On  the  i6th  all  was  ready  for  a  start.  Hannington 
says  :  "  I  had  stipulated  that  I  was  to  have  six  porters 
exclusively  to  myself,  to  carry  me,  for  I  had  already  had 
very  disagreeable  experience  of  a  scratch  crew  ;  and  I 
further  offered  to  pay  for  them  myself.  On  arriving  in 
camp  I  found  all  confusion.  Fifty  men  had  run  away. 
They  had  deserted,  panic-stricken  at  the  idea  of  cross- 
ing Mirambo's  country.  We,  however,  determined  not 
to  wait,  but  to  proceed  with  as  many  loads  as  we  could, 
and  leave  headmen  to  gather  porters  and  bring  on  the 
rest.  The  next  thing  to  be  arranged  was,  what  was  to 
remain  and  what  was  to  go.  During  the  turmoil  I  crept 
out  of  the  way  and  remained,  I  will  not  say  rested,  on 
the  ground  under  a  tree  for  two  hours  and  a  half.  At 
length,  at  half-past  four,  the  drum  sounded  and  my  men 
came  up.  I  was  too  ill  to  scrutinize  them,  or  think  who 
they  were,  or  how  many  of  them  had  been  told  off  for 
hammock  duty  ;  so  we  started.  Presently  I  discovered 
that  I  had  only  four  bearers,  and  these,  with  one  excep- 
tion, were  the  very  dregs  of  the  caravan By  and 

by  my  men  began  to  totter,  and  finally  let  me  drop. 
Fortunately  I  expected  it  and  was  prepared,  and  caught 
myself,  thus  saving  an  ugly  fall ;  it  is  a  most  dangerous 
thing  to  be  dropped  suddenly  from  a  hammock,  as  one 
falls  first  on  the  small  of  his  back  and  is  likely  to  injure 
his  spine.  I  gave  them  a  long  rest,  but  it  was  not  of 
the  slightest  use,  and  finally,  for  safety's  sake,  I  was 
compelled  to  abandon  the  hammock  and  walk  for  two 
hours.     I  had  been  in  bed  for  nearly  six  weeks  before. 

It  only  proves  what  one  can  do  when  one  must 

The  next  day  I  got  fresh  carriers,  but  they  were  not 
used  to  the  work,  and  I  was  worse  off  than  before.  The 
scenes  of  the  past  afternoon  were  painfully  repeated  ; 
so  the  day  following  I  declined  to  stir  an  inch  until  1 


246  James  Hanningtoii.  [A.D.  1882. 

had  six  good  men  allotted  to  me,  for  my  life  absolutely 
depended  upon  it." 

On  the  20th  Mr.  Copplestone  and  Mr.  Stokes  went  to 
Mirambo's  village  to  interview  that  renowned  African 
monarch,  so  the  following  day  the  porters  took  advan- 
tage of  the  absence  of  their  caravan  leader  to  be  trouble- 
some. When  they  arrived  at  a  certain  village  where  no 
halt  ought  to  have  been  made  they  insisted  they  would 
remain  there.  Hannington  says  :  "  The  men  made  a 
great  rov/,  and  vowed  they  would  go  no  further.  I  sat 
perfectly  still  until  they  had  shouted  themselves  out, 
and  then  ordered  my  hammock  and  said  that  I  was 
going  on.  The  last  shout  that  I  heard  was,  *  We  won't 
come';  but  about  five  minutes  later  I  perceived  that 
they  were  on  the  road,  and  on  arriving  very  shortly  at  a 
better  camping-ground  they  were  in  excellent  spirits, 
and  said  that  they  were  glad  that  I  had  made  them  go 
on." 

On  the  22d  they  arrived  at  the  Pero  (the  frontier 
town)  of  Urambo,  and  received  a  message  assuring  them 
of  Mirambo's  friendship.  Hannington  and  Mr.  Wise 
were  too  ill  to  leave  the  camp,  but  all  the  others  went 
to  the  capital  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  king. 

On  the  25th  they  started  for  the  comparatively  new 
country  of  Msalala.  The  only  white  man  who  had 
passed  that  way  before  was  Speke,  and  he  had  only 
touched  the  route  at  one  or  two  places.  They  thus 
looked  forward  to  the  journey  with  much  interest. 

In  spite  of  his  weakness,  Hannington  enjo3^ed  this 
changeful  life.  Drenching  rain  succeeding  furnace-like 
heat ;  soaked  clothes  by  day  and  wet  bed-clothes  by 
night  could  not  damp  his  spirits.  He  says  :  "  I  can  now 
just  sit  up  for  meals  ;  the  rheumatism  in  my  right  leg 
and  back  is  still  rather  relentless  ;  if  I  were  at  home  the 


JEt.  35.]  Chief  Shiinaini.  247 

doctor  would  be  wrapping  me  up  in  cotton-wool,  but 
this  life  is  thoroughly  agreeable  to  me.  If  I  had  good 
health  I  should  be  too  happy.  What  wonderful  mercy 
surrounds  us.  Truly,  underneath  are  the  Everlasting 
Arms  !  " 

On  Nov.  ist  they  encamped  near  the  village  of  a  chief 
called  Shimami,  "  a  great  chief — great  in  possessions, 
stature,  and  power.  A  man  of  remarkably  fine  points." 
After  exchange  of  presents,  Shimami  took  Hannington 
for  a  tour  of  exploration  through  his  village.  They  set 
off  in  single  file,  Shimami — wearing  one  of  the  presents, 
a  pair  of  blue  spectacles — leading  the  way,  his  guest 
second,  and  the  court  officials  following  in  order  of 
rank.  When  near  the  village,  Hannington  bestowed 
upon  him  a  wide-awake  hat.  ''  His  delight  knew  no 
bounds.  He  put  it  on,  and,  spectacles  and  all,  strutted 
off  as  proud  as  a  peacock.  His  chief  minister  discov- 
ered that  the  crown  of  the  bat  was  flattened  a  little,  in 
the  fashion  we  generally  wear  our  wide-awakes.  So  it 
was  taken  off  and  erected  in  a  sharp  peak  ;  then  its  rim 
was  bent  up  au  brigand,  and  altered  again  and  yet  again. 
I  was  immensely  amused,  but  my  mirth  only  caused 
greater  delight,  for  in  Africa  laughter  is  seldom  express- 
ive of  ridicule." 

"  Nov.  4th  brought  us  to  the  Sultan's,  a  minor  of 
about  12  years  old  named  Gargi.  I  can  only  speak  of 
him  as  a  delightful  little  black.  He  quite  won  my  heart, 
and  we  were  soon  walking  about  hand  in  hand  together, 
though  followed  by  a  large  retinue  to  see  that  we  did 
not  get  into  mischief." 

On  the  6th  Hannington  was  so  much  better  that  he 
attempted  the  ascent  of  a  mountain.  He  went  alone, 
ascending  by  creepers  which  hung  from  crevices  in  the 
iron-stone  rock.    Above  the  crags  was  dense  jungle.    He 


248  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

soon,  however,  struck  a  path  which  led  to  some  deserted 
huts,  which  had  the  appearance  of  a  robber's  hold. 
This  looked  bad,  but  the  hope  of  fresh  botanical  treas- 
ures urged  him  on.  For  some  time  he  crept  upward, 
often  on  hands  and  knees,  through  the  thick  under- 
growth, till  by  and  by  he  heard  an  ominous  rustle.  At 
first  he  thought  of  lions,  and  remembered  that  he  was 
unarmed.  Then  as  he  peered  into  the  tangle  he  heard 
a  whisper  that  sounded  very  human,  and  his  thoughts 
at  once  reverted  to  the  abandoned  huts  and  to  murder- 
ous robbers.  Soon  appeared  three  men  armed  with  a 
pistol  and  bows  and  arrows.  There  was  not  much  hope 
of  escape  if  they  meant  mischief,  so  he  at  once  resolved 
to  face  them,  and  descending,  called  out  "Wadela,'' 
which  is  Kinyamwezi  for  "  good-afternoon." 

The  reply  was  not,  as  he  half  expected,  an  arrow  or  a 
bullet ;  those  three  had  dogged  his  steps  for  some  time, 
as  in  the  **  prospecting  "  regions  of  America  men  dog  the 
steps  of  one  whom  they  suspect  to  have  discovered  the 
secret  of  a  new  mine.  They  were  in  want  of  water,  and 
believed  that  the  white  man  had  power  to  create  it.  In 
fact,  that  his  business  on  the  mountains  was  to  form  a 
new  spring  !  Hannington  tried  to  explain  that  this  was 
in  the  power  of  God  alone,  but  in  vain,  for  "What," 
says  he,  "  could  a  man  be  doing  who  kept  picking  little 
pieces  of  moss  and  examining  them  through  a  magnify- 
ing-glass,  or  cutting  off  bark  from  a  tree,  or  turning  over 
a  stone  for  a  beetle  ?  Even  in  the  West  of  England  two 
very  eminent  botanists  were  regarded  as  '  old  herbalists,' 
and  were  not  altogether  beyond  the  suspicion  of  necro- 
m.ancy  ;  but  here,  where  witchcraft  is  the  religion  of  the 
country,  no  words  of  mine  could  persuade  them  that  I 
was  not  a  most  powerful  magician,  though  unwilling  to 
exercise  my  power." 


^Et.  35.]  Looking  for  the  Nyanza.  249 

'■^  Nov.  Zth. — After  a  twenty  miles'  march  we  arrived  at 
Kwa  Sonda,  in  Msalala,  the  last  village  under  Mirambo's 
jurisdiction.  Here  we  were  promised  our  first  view  of 
the  mighty  Victoria  Nyanza,  and  here  we  hoped  to  found 
a  new  Station.  The  Lake  was  supposed  to  be  but  five 
miles  distant.  We  struggled  on.  But  what  was  our 
bitter  disappointment  to  see  nothing  but  a  green  ex- 
panse of  rushes,  looking  like  a  cricket-field,  and  stretch- 
ing away  for  miles.  We  had  expected  to  behold  a  grand 
stretch  of  blue  water  and  luxuriant  foliage  when  we 
reached  Kwa  Sonda.  Instead  of  this,  only  a  sandy 
plain,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  a  smgularly  unpicturesque 
village.  After  we  had  been  introduced  to  the  chief  and 
been  assured  by  him  that  the  water  was  not  far  off,  I 
crept  silently  away  to  explore,  but  was  soon  discovered 
and  followed  by  the  others.  As  to  the  natives,  they 
could  tell  us  nothing  with  certainty.  The  greater  part 
seemed  never  to  have  travelled  northward  through  fear 
of  hostile  tribes.  Some  cried  one  thing,  some  another, 
so  we  had  to  find  out  our  whereabouts  for  ourselves. 
Soon  a  drenching  shower  overtook  us,  which  would 
have  damped  the  ardor  of  most  men,  but  not  of  those 
who  had  tramped  nigh  a  thousand  miles  to  reach  their 
sphere  of  work  at  the  sources  of  the  Nile.  We  crept 
beneath  a  glorious  jessamine  bush  and  there  sheltered 
until  the  worst  was  over.  Then  on  we  went  and  yet  on- 
wards ;  but  though  the  scenery  had  changed  and  be- 
come very  beautiful,  yet  no  lake  was  visible.  By  and 
by  we  saw,  from  the  top  of  a  high  rock,  a  swamp  of 
reeds  and  grass  which,  as  I  have  said  before,  looked  like 
a  well-mown  cricket-field,  but  not  a  drop  of  water.  Our 
hearts  sank,  and  with  weary  tread  we  returned  to  the 
camp  to  answer  the  eager  inquiries  of  the  men  with 
*Maji  Hapana  '  (There  is  no  water). 


250  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

"  I  implored  the  brethren  to  reserve  all  remarks  until 
after  we  had  been  refreshed  by  food;  for  not  only  had 
we  had  a  very  long  march,  but  also  a  fatiguing  search 
and  a  great  disappointment.  After  dinner,  just  as  we 
had  opened  the  books  for  prayers,  in  came  the  chief,  and 
asked  what  we  were  about.  When  we  told  him  we  were 
going  to  pray  to  God,  he  replied:  'Go  on;  let  me  hear 
you.'  Then  when  we  had  finished:  'You.  must  teach 
me.'  This  seemed  to  come  to  us  as  an  immense  com- 
fort when  we  were  all  depressed,  for  although  we  were 
generally  asked  to  remain  permanently  and  form  a 
Station,  yet  nobody  had  yet  directly  requested  us  to 
teach  him  to  pray." 

Elsewhere  he  writes:  "I  do  not  place  too  much  stress 
on  this,  and  yet  it  seemed  an  earnest  from  heaven,  and 
it  set  my  heart  praising,  and  filled  me  with  assurance 
that  our  most  loving  Father  has  not  forgotten  us." 

"  We  heard  afterwards  that  we  had  not  gone  to  the 
right  place  from  which  to  see  the  water,  so  the  next 
morning,  before  the  sun  was  up,  I  started;  but  was  soon 
outdistanced  by  Stokes  and  a  troop  of  men.  Presently 
I  heard  firing,  and  thinking  that  they  had  overtaken  a 
Iiippo,  I  seized  my  gun,  and  began  to  run,  when  I  made 
the  painful  discovery  that  I  was  quite  unable  to  do  so. 
I  was  by  this  time  strong  enough  to  walk  for  a  few 
miles,  but  not  twenty  yards  could  I  run.  I  cannot  de- 
scribe my  feelings  as  I  handed  the  gun  to  my  boy  and 
told  him  to  run.  Nor  was  my  mortification  lessened  by 
the  way  he  dashed  off,  I  watched  him  disappear,  wish- 
ing heartily  that  he  would  occasionally  move  like  that 
when  I  was  in  a  hurry,  and  inwardly  resolving  that  he 
should.  By  and  by  he  returned,  saying  that  the  firing 
was  not  for  Nyama  (game),  but  for  Furahi  (joy).  They 
had  reached  the  Lake.     I  brisked  up  at  once,  and  soon 


^t.  35.]  Alone  in  the   Wilderness.  251 

reached  the  mighty  Nyanza,  here  like  a  duck-pond,  or 
sluggish  English  river  in  the  summer-time.  The  Nullah 
cannot  be  in  this  place  more  than  a  mile  across,  for  some 
natives  came  rushing  down  on  the  opposite  bank  to  see 
what  was  the  matter,  and  we  could  distinctly  hear  their 
voices.  Only  a  very  small  portion  of  the  intervening 
space  was  water;  the  rest  was  reedy  swamp.  There 
were  no  canoes,  and  no  communication  seemed  to  be 
kept  up  with  other  parts." 

They  had  reached  the  Lake  at  a  point  to  the  west  of 
Kagei  and  Jordan's  Nullah,  marked  Msalala  with  a  blue 
underline  on  the  map,  but  did  not  yet  know  their  exact 
position.  Writing  to  the  Committee  of  the  C.  M.  S., 
Hannington  says:  "I  incline  rather  to  our  being  on  the 
west  side  of  the  west  channel  of  Jordan's  Nullah.  But 
time  will  settle  the  question  for  us."  In  his  diary  he 
wx'ites:  "A  council  of  war  was  held.  There  seemed  but 
one  course  before  us.  There  we  were.  Cloth  short.  A 
caravan  still  behind  us,  nothing  before  us,  what  were  we 
to  do  ?  We  must  stop  v/here  we  are  until  Raschid  comes 
with  the  boat." 

The  rainy  season  was  upon  them,  so  they  set  to  work 
at  once  to  build  huts,  and  in  the  meanwhile  sent  letters 
by  Kagei  to  U-Ganda  announcing  their  arrival,  and  tell- 
ing the  brethren  there  to  send  canoes  for  them  if  theii 
immediate  presence  was  required. 

The  ranks  of  the  Mission  party  were  now  to  be  still 
further  thinned.  Mr.  Blackburn  and  Mr.  Edmonds  had 
been  left  at  Uyui  to  take  the  place  of  Mr  Copplestone, 
who  was  about  to  return  to  England.  Now  Mr.  Stokes 
returned  to  the  coast.  So  Hannington  and  Mr.  Gordon 
sallied  forth  to  choose  a  good  site  for  their  tent  at  a 
place  some  miles  from  the  village.     The  journal  says: 


252  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882, 

"Gordon  and  I  were  quite  alone  last  night  in  the  heart 
of  the  forest.  Three  or  four  tarantulas  were  dashing 
wildly  about  the  tent.  Mosquitoes  swarmed.  Lions 
roared  close  to  us  during  the  greater  part  of  the  night, 
four  different  kinds  of  ants  made  themselves  at  home 
with  us,  and  in  the  morning  a  whole  stream  of  Chunqu 
(bitter)  ants,  the  largest  and  fiercest  ants  there  are,  ad- 
vanced as  an  army  into  our  tent.  There  was  nothing  to 
be  done  but  light  a  fire  and  regularly  fight  them,  and 
even  then  we  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  the 
enemy.  In  spite  of  these  trifling  drawbacks  we  congrat- 
ulated ourselves  upon  having  pitched  upon  an  exceed- 
ingly pleasant  spot,  and  determined  as  soon  as  possible 
to  hedge  ourselves  in  with  a  fence  of  thorns,  to  prevent 
a  buffalo  or  stray  rhinoceros  from  charging  the  tent,  or 
a  lion  from  slipping  his  paw  under  the  curtain  and  claw- 
ing one  of  us  out  of  bed." 

"Nov.  13//^. — After  we  had  enlisted  a  sufficient  number 
of  volunteers  from  the  porters  to  remain  with  us,  the 
rest  returned  with  Stokes  to  the  coast.  We  were  very 
sorry  to  bid  him  farewell.  His  unceasing  kindness  had 
been  a  great  comfort  to  us,  and  his  ability  in  managing 
the  men  a  great  advantage.  When  he  was  gone  a  slight 
feeling  of  loneliness  crept  over  us.  We  felt  rather  like 
men  with  empty  pockets  turned  adrift  in  the  wide  world, 
not  knowing  exactly  where  we  were,  or  what  to  do  next. 
Our  instructions,  in  rough  outline,  were  as  follows  : 
'Ashe  and  Wise  to  form  a  station  somewhere  at  the  end 
of  the  lake  ;  Gordon  and  myself  to  proceed  as  speedily 
as  possible  to  U-Ganda.'  Very  good  ;  but  the  difficulty 
was  that  our  supplies  had  run  short,  and  the  horrors  of 
the  rainy  season  were  upon  us. 

"  However,  the  next  day  I  dug  a  well  with  my  own 


^t.  35.]  A  Fearless  Hunter.  253 

hands,  as  Gordon  was  ill.  Then,  that  no  opportunity 
might  be  wasted,  I  persuaded  the  chief's  brother  to 
come  to  me  to  learn  the  alphabet.  How  I  longed  to  be 
able  to  talk  sufficiently  well  to  teach  the  people  the  way 
of  everlasting  life  !  " 

The  traveller  in  Africa  must  always  depend  in  a  large 
measure  upon  his  gun  for  a  supply  of  fresh  meat  for 
himself  and  his  men.  However  unwilling  he  may  be  to 
take  life,  he  will  find  it  necessary  to  avail  himself  of  a 
halt,  to  try  and  replenish  the  camp  larder.  Hannington 
was  always  chary  about  inflicting  unnecessary  slaughter. 
He  had  no  sympathy  with  the  ambition  which  consumes 
some  men  to  make  a  large  bag.  Now  and  again,  how- 
ever, he  would  scour  the  country  about  the  encampment 
in  search  of  game,  and  his  fearlessness  often  brought 
him  strange  adventures. 

One  day,  as  he  and  his  boy  Duta  were  trying  to  stalk 
some  antelopes,  and  were  worming  themselves  on  hands 
and  knees  through  the  high  grass,  he  saw  something 
dark  ahead.  He  whispered  to  Duta  :  "  Is  that  a  rhinoc- 
eros or  a  clump  of  bushes  ?  "  Just  then  the  object  moved, 
and  they  saw  that  it  was  a  black  rhinoceros.  Hanning- 
ton thus  describes  what  followed  :  "  Back  we  darted  in- 
to the  thicket,  and  took  a  large  circuit,  coming  out  again 
on  the  edge  of  the  plain  just  in  time  to  see  a  cow  with 
her  calf  retiring  slowly  in  the  jungle.  Quietly  we  crept 
back,  and  again  emerged,  this  time  about  twenty  yards 
from  her.  Her  head  was  turned  from  us,  and  on  her 
back  were  a  number  of  yellow  '  rhinoceros  birds.'  These 
flew  up  with  a  screech  and  apprised  her  of  her  enemy. 
Before  she  could  spring  round  I  fired.  As  the  bullet 
struck  her  she  uttered  a  fierce  screaming  grunt,  and  in 
a  moment,  about  ten  yards  from  where   I   stood   there 


254  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

rushed  from  the  jungle  a  bull  and  another  cow  rhinoc- 
eros bellowing  most  fiercely.  Happily  for  us  they  did 
not  see  us,  as  the  vision  of  the  rhinoceros  in  very  limited, 
and  we  were  to  leeward,  so  that  they  could  not  get  our 
wind.  But  when  about  thirty  yards  distant  some  whiff 
of  our  wind  must  have  reached  them,  for  they  wheeled 
round  and  charged  furiously  toward  us.  '  Fire,  bwana, 
fire  ! '  excitedly  cried  my  boy  ;  and  as  he  ceased  speak- 
ing I  could  hear  his  heart  thumping  loudly.  '  Be  still,' 
I  said.  'Stand  perfectly  still ';  and  the  lad,  to  his  honor 
be  it  said,  was  brave  enough  to  obey.  When  about  ten 
paces  distant,  seeing  that  we  remained  motionless,  they 
came  to  a  halt,  and  eyed  us  fiercely,  pawing  the  ground 
and  snorting  defiance.  It  was  an  embarrassing  situa- 
tion. The  eye  wandered  round  for  a  tree  up  which  to 
climb,  but  there  was  not  one  within  reach.  AVe  were 
standing  in  dense  mimosa  tangle  about  chest  high;  flight 
through  this  was  impossible.  I  thought.  Should  I  fire  ? 
But  I  determined  not  to  do  so,  for  even  if,  by  the  great- 
est good  fortune,  I  brought  one  to  the  ground,  there 
were  still  the  other  two.  They  themselves  at  last  took 
the  initiative.  The  cow  which  I  had  wounded  stole 
away  across  the  plain.  I  decided  at  once  to  follow  her 
and  get  another  shot.  The  other  two  stood  gazing  at 
us  until  they  saw  that  she  had  outdistanced  us,  and 
then  they  quietly  turned  round  and  disappeared  in  the 
jungle." 

Like  most  other  African  travellers,  Hannington  has  a 
hunter's  joke  to  tell  against  himself.  As  his  is  charac- 
teristic, it  is  worth  repeating.  The  tangle  of  an  African 
"  forest "  is  so  dense,  that  it  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world  to  pass  by  the  largest  game  without  seeing  it,  or 
even  being  aware  of  its  vicinity.  The  first  warning  of 
the  neighborhood  of  a  rhinoceros  or  buffalo  is  often  a 


'^  " 


•3r> 


^t.  35-]  Hunting  a  Rhinoceros.  255 

furious  charge  from  some  cover  a  few  yards  distant.  In- 
stances have  been  known  in  which  a  hunter  has  almost 
stumbled  over  a  sleeping  lion,  or  has  even  run  right  up 
against  an  elephant !  *  Often  the  only  sign  of  the  beast 
Avhich  he  is  diligently  stalking,  in  order  that  he  may  re- 
plenish his  exhausted  larder  and  feed  his  hungry  por- 
ters, is  a  certain  thickening  in  the  bush  which  suggests 
some  solid  body.  It  is  not,  therefore,  odd  if  a  hunter 
should  occasionall}'-  send  his  bullet  into  the  heart  of  a  log, 
or  to  the  core  of  an  ant-hill,  or  flatten  it  against  a  rock. 

Here  is  Hannington's  story.  He  says  :  "  I  had  taken 
my  butterfly-net  and  accompanied  Wise  for  a  walk.  We 
had  not  gone  far  when  we  came  to  a  beautiful  flowering- 
shrub,  covered  with  insects  ;  and  here  I  should  have 
probably  remained  for  the  rest  of  the  morning,  had  I 
not  been  excitedly  summoned  by  the  others  to  come  and 
hunt  a  rhinoceros  Vv^hich  they  had  just  sighted.  'Well,' 
said  I,  '  rhino  or  no  rhino,  I  have  just  seen  a  new  butter- 
fly, and  I  do  not  leave  this  spot  till  I  have  secured  it.' 
Could  any  one  know  me  so  little  as  to  suppose  that  I 
would  lose  the  opportunity  of  capturing  a  new  butterfly 
for  a  chance  shot  at  a  rhinoceros  ?  So  I  caught  and 
boxed  my  fly,  and  then,  with  much  elation,  I  seized  my 
gun,  and  went  in  the  direction  pointed  out.  Wise  had 
not  yet  been  face  to  face  with  big  game,  and  was  in  a 
great  state  of  excitement,  trembling  with  combined  hope 
and  fear.  We  marched  in  single  file  under  cover  of  a 
tree  ;  and  Wise  was  in  such  a  state  of  high-pressure, 
that  I  momentarily  expected  the  contents  of  his  barrels 
to  lodge  themselves  near  my  calves. 

"We  took  a  hasty  glance  round  the  bush,  and  there, 
sure  enough,  we  saw  a  magnificent  rhino,  lazily  eating 

*  Thomson,  Through  Masai  Land,  p.  550. 


256  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882, 

the  rich  herbage,  and  taking  no  notice  of  our  approach. 
Back  we  darted  into  cover.  There  was  another  bush 
about  twenty  yards  ahead  :  my  two  companions  were 
told  off  to  crawl  under  its  cover  ;  then  I  was  to  sudden- 
ly emerge  to  the  right,  and  they  to  the  left,  and  all  to 
take  aim  and  fire.  If  this  produced  a  savage  charge, 
there  was  the  bush  to  serve  as  shelter. 

"  It  was  an  anxious  moment.  How  would  my  com- 
panions conduct  themselves  ?  Would  they  dodge,  if 
necessary  ?  Would  they  stand  firm,  if  need  be  ?  '  Now, 
then,  are  you  ready  ? '     *  Yes,  quite.'     '  Now  for  it ' 

"  We  emerged  with  bated  breath  ;  and  lo  ! — the  rhi- 
noceros had  disappeared,  and  there  before  us  stood,  or 
rather  lay,  a  fallen  tree  !  Who  shall  portray  our  looks 
of  disappointed  disgust  and  surprise  !  Even  my  boy,  a 
born  son  of  the  forest,  had  been  taken  in." 

After  reading  an  article  which  I  had  written  in  The 
C.  M.  Intelligejicer,  containing  some  Recollections  of 
Bishop  Hannington,  one  of  his  friends  objected  to  a  lion 
story  there  given,  as  an  instance  of  his  remarkable  per- 
sonal courage.  My  friendly  critic  remarked  that  the 
story  bore  on  the  face  of  it  an  air  of  improbability.  If 
this  be  so,  I  can  only  regret  it ;  but  I  gave  the  story  al- 
most word  for  word  as  I  received  it  from  his  own  lips. 
I  find  reference  to  the  incident  in  his  diary,  as  occurring 
on  the  i6th  of  December,  and  venture  to  repeat  it  here, 
as  illustrating  his  dauntless  nature.  Hannington  him- 
self was  always  shy  about  telling  this  story  to  any 
stranger,  lest  it  should  be  received  with  incredulity;  but 
to  those  who  knew  him  intimately  it  will  not,  I  think, 
sound  incredible. 

Both  Hannington  and  Gordon  had  been  severely 
scourged   by   fever  ;    but  on  Dec.   i6th  the  former  felt 


JEt.  35.]  Encounter  with  Lions.  257 

better,  and  he  thought  to  take  a  short  stroll  and  collect 
some  botanical  specimens.  At  about  a  mile  from  camp 
he  saw  some  animal  moving  through  the  dense  mimosa 
scrub,  and  firing,  killed  it.  His  prey  proved  to  be  a 
large  lion's  cub.  The  gun-bearer,  seeing  this,  fled  with 
every  sign  of  terror,  and  shouted  to  him  to  do  the  same. 
It  was  time  indeed  to  do  so.  The  cries  of  "  Run,  bwana, 
run  !  "  were  accentuated  by  a  double  roar,  and,  looking 
round,  Hannington  saw  the  bereaved  parents,  a  fine  lion 
and  lioness,  coming  toward  him  with  long,  bounding 
leaps  over  the  scrub.  An  ordinary  man,  encountering 
lions  face  to  face  in  the  open  for  almost  the  first  time, 
would  probably  have  lost  all  presence  of  mind,  and, 
turning  to  run,  have  been  inevitably  destroyed.  He  de- 
liberately faced  round  upon  his  enemy.  The  enraged 
lions  were  distant  but  a  few  paces,  but  they  suddenly 
checked,  and  both  stood,  as  though  transfixed,  glaring 
upon  him.  So  they  remained  for  some  time,  till  Han- 
nington, placing  one  foot  behind  the  other,  and  still 
keeping  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  yellow  orbs  before  him, 
gradually  increased  his  distance,  and,  having  placed 
about  a  hundred  yards  between  himself  and  the  mon- 
sters, quietly  walked  away. 

But  the  indomitable  nature  of  the  man  comes  out 
more  strongly  in  what  followed.  Most  men  would  have 
concluded  that  they  had  had  enough  of  such  an  adven- 
ture, and  have  accepted  their  escape  from  the  jaws  of 
death,  or  at  least  would  not  have  renewed  the  contest 
without  assistance.  Hannington  was  formed  of  quite 
another  metal.  Though  the  light  was  waning,  he  de- 
termined that  he  would  return  and  secure  the  skin  of 
the  cub  he  had  killed  ;  so  he  retraced  his  steps.  When 
near  enough  to  observe  their  motions,  he  could  see  that 
the  lion   and   lioness  were  walking  round   about  their 


25H  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  \\ 


cub,  licking  its  body  and  filling  the  air  with  low  growl- 
ings.  At  this  moment  an  unknown  flower  caught  his 
eye.  He  plucked  it,  took  out  his  note-book,  pressed  it 
between  the  leaves,  and  classified  it  as  far  as  he  was 
able  ;  then,  with  coolness  perfectly  restored,  he  ran  for- 
ward a  few  paces,  threw  up  his  arms  and  shouted  !  Was 
it  that  the  lions  had  never  encountered  so  strange  an 
antagonist  before  ?  At  all  events,  they  looked  up,  then 
turned  tail  and  bounded  away.  He  dragged  the  cub 
for  some  distance,  till  having  left  the  dangerous  vicin- 
ity, he  shouldered  it  and  brought  it  into  camp. 

Acts  such  as  these  gave  him  unbounded  influence 
over  his  men.  They  learned  to  regard  him  as  invinci- 
ble, and  entertained  a  most  wholesome  dread  of  oppos- 
ing his  expressed  will. 

Matters  were  not  going  well  at  Kagei.  All  failed 
with  fever,  one  after  the  other,  and  all  at  once.  News, 
too,  came  that  Raschid,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  boat,* 
was  delayed,  through  want  of  cloth,  at  Kwa  Sonda.  f 
Raschid  appears,  from  the  account,  to  have  been  a 
scamp.  The  unfortunates  at  Msalala  had  expected  that 
he  would  bring  to  them  a  fresh  supply  of  stores,  and 
now,  to  their  dismay,  they  learned  that  he  had  either 
wasted  or  appropriated  the  goods  entrusted  to  him,  to 

*  The  boat  was  carried  in  sections  as  far  as  Jordan's  Nullah, 
where  it  remained  until  July,  1883,  when  Mr.  Mackay  came  from 
U-Ganda.  As  the  boat  could  not  be  launched  from  Msalala,  where 
the  Nullah  is  choked  with  weeds,  and  unnavigable,  he  took  it  to  a 
village  in  Urima,  where  the  fragments  were  united.  The  boat  was 
launched  on  Dec.  3d,  1884,  and  named  the  Eleanor  (after  Mr. 
Wigram's  eldest  daughter).  She  proved  to  be  a  great  success,  and 
took  the  Mission  party  safely  to  U-Ganda,  where  she  received  the 
additional  native  name  of  Miremhi  or  Peace. 

t  Marked  on  the  map  Msalala.  The  name  changes  according 
to  the  chief.     It  is  now  Kwa  Chasama. 


^t.  35.]  The  Milk   War.  259 

such  an  extent  that  they  would  have  to  send  him  some 
of  their  own  rapidly  diminishing  stock.  It  was  decided 
that  Ashe  and  Gordon  should  go  to  meet  him,  and  bring 
on  his  caravan,  while  Hannington  negotiated  with  Rom- 
wa,  King  of  U-Zinza,  with  a  view  to  his  assistance  in 
reaching  the  head  of  the  lake.  Romwa's  capital  is  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  a  few  days'  journey  from  Msalala. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  neighboring  chief  was  making 
himself  very  disagreeable,  and  charging  exorbitant 
prices  for  all  provisions,  especially  for  milk.  Hanning- 
ton called  this  "  the  milk  war." 

'^  Dec.  16th. — The  milk  war  opened  again  early  this 
morning.  The  first  thing  was  the  arrival  of  the  two 
headmen  who  own  the  cows.  They  came  into  the  boma 
(the  fence  about  the  camp),  and  posted  themselves  down 
without  any  especial  remark.  By  and  by  the  chief's 
mother,  wives,  and  sisters  arrived,  accompained  by 
ladies  of  the  court  bearing  a  present  of  Indian  corn, 
which  they  laid  respectfully  at  my  feet.  This  I  ac- 
cepted, as  coming  from  the  ladies,  and  gave  them  gilt 
buttons  to  the  value  of  the  corn — for  that  is  the  way 
one  accepts  a  present  in  these  parts.  By  and  by,  while 
these  visitors  were  still  with  us,  a  present  of  milk  arrived 
from  the  chief,  and,  lastly,  the  chief  himself  and  his  ret- 
inue. My  yard  was  crowded.  I  at  once  announced  that 
I  did  not  want  a  present  of  milk,  but  a  supply  of  milk 
every  day,  and  that  I  was  ready  to  pay  a  fair  price  for 
it.  The  chief  then  asked  for  a  red  pocket-handkerchief 
in  return  for  his  milk.  I  told  him  that  I  had  not  ac- 
cepted it ;  that  I  should  give  him  no  present,  as  we  were 
not  friends,  and  that  he  was  trying  to  drive  the  white 
man  out  of  his  country  ;  that  if  he  persisted  in  his  con- 
duct he  would  gain  his  end,  for  we  should  all  leave. 


26o  James  Haimington.  [A.D.  1882. 

He  then  asked  me  what  we  should  do  with  the  huts 
which  we  were  building.  To  which  I  briefly  replied, 
'  Moto '  (fire)  ;  then  I  expatiated  upon  our  readiness  to 
remain  with  him,  and  that  we  wanted  to  be  friends  if  he 
would  act  fairly  by  us.  I  then  asked  what  they  would 
arrange  to  supply  us  with  milk  for.  He  replied  that  if 
we  wanted  milk  daily,  we  must  pay  for  it  with  red  cloth. 
This  exceeded  any  of  his  former  demands,  and  I  fairly 
broke  out  in  wrath,  and  drove  them  all  from  my  pres- 
ence. I  then  followed  them  over  to  Wise's  as  quickly 
as  I  could,  but  not  in  time  enough,  for  he  came  out  to 
meet  me  in  great  triumph,  saying,  '  I  am  flooded  with 
milk  to-day  ;  see,  I  have  got  this  present  from  the  chief.' 
This  really  was  too  provoking.  I  had  sat  with  that  milk 
under  my  nose  for  half  an  hour.  I  had  refused  it  be- 
cause I  was  fighting  for  my  friends,  who  are  expecting 
to  stop  here  long  after  I  have  left  for  U-Ganda,  and  now 
all  that  I  had  done  and  said  was  frustrated.  I  returned 
to  my  quarters  rather  crestfallen  and  worried,  feeling 
that  I  had  got  the  worst  of  it  for  the  fifth  or  sixth  time. 
However,  I  think  that,  with  a  little  perseverance,  I  shall 
yet  bring  them  to  terms,  and  the  battle  must  be  fought 
out  for  the  sake  of  the  brethren  who  remain." 

After  the  adventure  with  the  lions  narrated  above,  the 
people  of  the  district  treated  the  dauntless  Englishman 
with  greater  respect.  He  had  managed  to  recall  his  ter- 
rified boy  before  he  regained  the  camp,  and  after  giving 
him  a  good  scolding  for  leaving  him  to  be  killed  while 
he  fled  to  save  his  own  bones,  he  made  him  drag  the 
carcase  of  the  cub  for  the  remainder  of  the  distance 
home.  "  The  boy  Backit,"  he  says,  "  walked  in  perfect 
terror,  expecting  every  m.oment  that  the  lions  would 
hunt  him  down,  especially  as  he  was  obliged  to  drag 


■^t.  35.]  A   Camp  Leader* s   Work.  261 

the  cub  along  the  ground.  Nor  could  he  sleep  for  two 
or  three  nights  afterwards,  feeling  sure  that  they  would 
come  to  find  their  offspring.  The  affair  made  a  great 
stir  in  the  village.  They  would  scarcely  believe  that  I 
had  ventured  to  kill  '  a  child  of  the  lion.'  It  was,  they 
said,  a  far  more  hazardous  thing  to  do  than  killing  the 
lion  himself.  I  almost  think  that  now  I  shall  get  milk 
sent  in  regularly  !  " 

The  skin  of  this  cub,  so  dearly  obtained,  was  unfor- 
tunately eaten  by  ants,  but  the  tuft  at  the  end  of  its  tail 
is  still  preserved  as  a  trophy  of  one  of  the  coolest  acts 
of  deliberate  hardihood  ever  performed  by  a  man. 

On  Dec.  19th  Gordon  and  Ashe  returned  with  Raschid 
and  his  caravan.  Both  were  very  ill,  as  also  was  Wise. 
The  whole  burden  for  a  while  fell  upon  Hannington, 
who  was  himself  again  failing  with  fever.  He  describes 
the  kind  of  work  which  falls  to  a  camp  leader  from 
sunrise  to  sunset,  in  his  half-humorous,  half-pathetic 
style  : 

"Moses:  'What  am  I  to  do  with  this?'  Raschid: 
*  How  am  I  to  arrange  that  ? '  '  There  is  rain  coming  ; 
how  are  we  to  manage  ? '  etc.,  etc.  Between  the  patients, 
the  constant  worry  of  the  caravan,  and  my  own  vexing 
weakness,  I  was  in  the  depth  of  despair.  The  boys, 
the  men,  the  food,  all  required  constant  looking  after. 
Natives  ever  coming  and  going,  begging,  buying,  and 
selling.     I  got  through  the  day,  for  grace  was  sufficient. 

"  The  next  morning  found  all  slightly  better;  but  be- 
fore I  could  get  to  Ashe,  he  had  crept  over  to  me  full 
of  perturbation  and  bad  news.  Raschid  and  his  men 
had  announced  their  intention  of  immediately  leaving 
us.  What  did  this  mean  ?  Starvation.  It  would  throw 
us  on  the  exorbitant  natives,  to  whom  we  would  have 


262  James  Hanniyigton.  [A.D.  1882. 

to  pay  ready  money,  in  the  shape  of  cloth,  instead  of 
having  the  help  of  the  coastmen,  whom  we  could  al- 
ways pay  with  promissory  notes  upon  our  agent  at 
Zanzibar.  The  men  had  been  told  that  they  might  re- 
turn when  Raschid  went  back,  but  we  had  anticipated 
that  he  would  remain  with  us  until  our  winter  huts  were 
completed,  and  a  temporary  station  formed.  I  pleaded 
with  the  men,  and  put  the  matter  in  every  possible  light 
before  them,  but  all  without  avail.  They  thought  that 
they  had  us  in  their  power,  and,  in  African  fashion,  they 
meant  to  use  it.  '  Will  you  go?'  '  Yes.'  Suddenly  I 
bounded  from  my  seat,  and  said,  '  Then  go — go  at 
once — instantly  leave  my  presence,  and  go  ;  but  you 
go  as  runaways!'  The  afternoon  brought  messages 
that  they  did  not  exactly  wish  to  leave  us  on  those 
terms,  and  that  they  supposed  they  must  stop." 

An  interview  with  the  men  settled  the  matter  satisfac- 
torily. They  consented  to  remain  without  Raschid  and 
the  malcontents,  so  he  and  his  ill-conditioned  crew  were 
suffered  to  depart.  The  same  day  brought  a  message 
from  Romwa  that  he  would  assist  the  Mission  party  to 
the  utmost  of  his  power,  and  supply  them  with  canoes 
for  the  voyage  up  the  lake.  His  terms  seemed  to  Han- 
nington,  who  had  grown  wise  by  this  time  in  the  wily 
ways  of  African  chiefs,  too  liberal  to  be  altogether  satis- 
factory; however,  it  was  decided  that  he  and  Mr.  Gordon 
should  visit  Romwa's  capital,  leaving  the  others  in 
charge  of  the  station  at  Msalala. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

THE    LAKE. 
(1882-83.) 

"  He  that  hath  so  many  causes  of  joy  is  very  much  in  love  with 
sorrow  and  peevishness  if  he  loses  all  these  pleasures  and  chooses 
to  sit  down  on  his  own  little  handful  of  thorns." — Jer.  Taylor. 

'■'■  Christmas  Day,  1882. — Gordon  very  ill  in  bed.  Ashe 
and  Wise  tottering  out  of  fever  beds;  I  myself  just  about 
to  totter  in  again.  In  spite  of  our  poor  condition,  we 
determined  to  have  our  Christmas  cheer.  We  had  a 
happy  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  at  8  a.m., 
and  thought  much  of  the  dear  ones  at  home,  praying 
for  us  and  wishing  us  true  Christmas  joy." 

There,  in  the  heart  of  the  great  wilderness,  that  little 
band  of  fever-stricken  men  assembled  together,  and  for 
a  while  forgot  their  loneliness  and  their  pains  as  they 
offered  up  their  Sacrifice  of  praise  and  thanksgiving. 
There  in  the  dark  land,  where  the  shadow  of  spiritual 
death  hung  like  a  heavy  pall  which  might  be  seen  and 
felt,  they  drew  near  with  faith  and  took  that  Holy  Sac- 
rament to  their  comfort.  With  angels  and  archangels, 
and  with  all  the  company  of  heaven;  with  the  Church 
of  Christ  scattered  throughout  the  w^orld,  they  raised 
their  weary  voices  to  laud  and  magnify  His  Holy  Name, 
who  had  sent  His  dear  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  that  their 
bodies  might  be  made  clean  by  His  Body,  and  their 
souls  washed  through  His  most  precious  blood.  And 
as  they  ate  and  drank  the  holy  symbols  there,  in  the 

(263) 


264  Jajnes  Hannington.  [A.D.  1882. 

tangled  forest,  amidst  wild  beasts  and  wilder  men,  they 
felt  that  neither  time  nor  space  could  separate  them 
from  their  fellow-worshippers  who  also  on  that  day 
were  making  their  Eucharistic  Feast  ;  but  that  they 
being  many  were  one  bread,  and  one  body,  for  were 
they  not  all  partakers  of  That  One  Bread  ? 

"In  spite  of  our  poor  plight,"  writes  the  leader  of  the 
expedition,  "  we  determined  to  celebrate  the  day  ;  so  I 
killed  a  kid,  and  Ashe  undertook  the  pudding.  As  to 
the  pudding,  I  am  sure  that  many  a  cottager  had  a  bet- 
ter one,  but  I  doubt  if  any  enjoyed  theirs  much  more 
than  we  did  ours.  Its  drawbacks  were  certainly  not 
few.  The  flour  was  both  musty  and  full  of  beetles  and 
their  larvae;  the  raisins  had  fermented;  the  pudding  was 
underboiled,  and  yet  boiled  enough  to  have  stuck  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sauce-pan,  whereby  its  lower  vitals  had 
suffered  considerably  ;  and  yet  a  musty,  fermented,  un- 
derdone, and  burnt  mass  of  dough  was  such  a  real  treat 
that  day,  that  I  cannot  remember  ever  to  have  enjoyed 
a  Christmas  pudding  half  so  much.  We  felt  quite  cruel 
in  denying  a  slice  to  Gordon,  who  was  not  in  a  fit  con- 
dition for  such  delicacies." 

A  move  was  made  in  the  direction  of  Romwa's  on  the 
30th  of  December.  By  this  time  the  C.  M.  S.  camp  was 
in  a  sad  state  of  destitution.  Owing  to  the  roguery  of 
Raschid,  they  were  now  almost  entirely  without  cloth  ; 
anglice,  they  were  almost  penniless. 

To  be  penniless  in  Africa  is  to  be  destitute  indeed.  In 
no  country  in  the  world  is  the  rule  of  nothing  for  noth- 
ing more  rigorously  adhered  to.  Hannington  was  soon 
to  have  an  illustration  of  this.  When  he  reached  Mkola's 
village  with  Gordon,  the  others  following  some  distance 
behind,  he  found  himself  without  cloth.     He  says:  "It 


JEt.  35.]  Thankful  amidst   Trials.  265 

began  to  pour  with  rain,  and  we  had  no  better  refuge 
than  a  tree.  I  tried  in  vain  to  purchase  something  to 
eat,  but  could  only  succeed  in  getting  one  old  woman  to 
trust  us  with  a  little  milk,  which  we  shared."  The  rest  of 
the  party  did  not  come  up,  and  seemed  to  have  lost  them- 
selves. **  We  were  utterly  bewildered  and  exhausted, 
for  we  had  had  no  food  for  eighteen  hours.  Before 
following  any  decided  course  of  action,  I  said  I  would 
take  my  bed  under  a  distant  tree  and  get  a  little  rest, 
for  my  soul  fainted  within  me.  I  had,  however,  scarcely 
composed  myself,  when  my  boy,  Duta,  came  from  Ashe, 
saying  that  they  had  mistaken  the  road  and  were  some 
two  or  three  miles  ahead.  At  once  we  started.  A  rhi- 
noceros charging  across  the  path  rather  revived  me ; 
and  in  about  two  hours  we  came  up  with  Ashe,  who  was 
encamped  by  the  edge  of  the  water;  and  soon  we  had 
our  first  boiling  of  anything  like  drinkable  water  since 
leaving  Uyui  last  October.  So  we  spent  the  rest  of  this 
the  last  day  of  1882  in  peace  and  happiness,  praising 
our  loving  Father  who  had  strengthened  and  protected 
us  thus  far." 

The  next  day,  New- Year's  Day,  1883,  the  canoe  journey 
to  Romwa's  should  have  commenced,  but  as  Mr.  Wise 
was  sick,  and  could  not  superintend  the  porters,  they 
left  half  their  loads  behind  them  at  the  old  camp,  and 
had  to  be  sent  back  several  times  before  all  was  gathered 
up.  The  captain  of  the  canoe  also  began  to  give  proof 
[  that  he  was  capable  of  making  trouble.  He  demanded 
extra  fare  before  he  would  consent  to  move. 

^''Jan.  2nd. — The  things  arrived  early ;   but  one  load, 
the  most  important  of  all,  was  left  behind,  and  yet  again 
we  had  to  send  back.     Again  the  old  man  of  the  sea  re- 
fused to  start,  saying  that  his  canoe  leaked,     I  had  an 
12 


266  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

attack  of  dysentery,  but  as  Ashe  and  Wise  were  both  in- 
capacitated by  sickness,  everything  fell  on  me.  I  selected 
a  few  packages,  and  had  them  stored  in  the  canoe,  at 
the  same  time  bidding  the  Mzee*.  remember  that  I  had 
ten  more  to  come.  At  2  a.m.  he  called  me  up  and  said 
we  must  start.  Well,  unearthly  as  this  hour  was,  I  got 
up,  saw  to  everything,  cooked  my  brethren  some  food, 
had  the  tent  taken  down,  and  the  things  taken  to  the 
boat,  when  Mzee  turned  round  and  declared  that  he  had 
no  room  for  the  luggage,  and  refused  to  start  till  day- 
light. This  meant  that  my  sick  companions  and  I  should 
sit  about  in  dewy  grass  for  some  three  hours.  My  pa- 
tience now  broke  down,  and  I  said  that,  Mzee  or  no 
Mzee,  I  would  start.  Hereupon  he  and  his  crew  rushed 
to  the  boat  and  began  tearing  out  the  baggage.  A  fear- 
ful scrimmage  ensued,  during  which  I  trod  into  a  colony 
of  ants,  and  got  wofully  punished.  Everything  was 
mixed  up  so  that  we  could  not  tell  what  we  had  taken, 
and  what  we  had  left,  and  eventually  many  packages 
we  could  ill  spare  were  left  behind.  However,  we  did 
get  off  about  4  a.m.,  a  hippo  blowing  a  salute  as  we 
started.  We  had  not  gone  far  when  a  loud  bang  startled 
us,  and,  looking  up,  I  saw  two  legs  of  my  only  chair  fly- 
ing upwards.  My  stupid  boy  had  placed  his  gun  loaded 
and  full  cocked  into  the  canoe.  My  best  waterproof 
rug  was  cut  in  half,  the  side  of  the  canoe  broken,  and 
my  chair  spoilt.  Happily  no  one  was  hurt.  I  am  very 
angry,  and  at  once  have  all  the  guns  secured,  but  forget 
the  pistols. 

"  Our  next  escapade  is  to  rob  some  natives.  Our  men 
spy  a  small  canoe,  to  which  they  at  once  give  chase,  and 

"^ "  Kisivnhtli  for  'old  man.'  The  captain  of  the  canoe  was 
always  called  Mzee.  I  translated  this  somewhat  freely  '  the  old  man 
of  the  sea,'  as  he  was  so  excessively  troublesome." 


iEt.  35.]       A   Canoe  Voyage  on  the  Nyanza.  267 

hunt  it  down.  A  goat  was  handed  over,  and  transferred 
to  our  boat.  I  thought  that  they  were  merely  having  a 
chat  or  friendly  barter,  for  the  thing  was  done  as  qui- 
etly as  possible,  and  we  went  on  our  way.  It  was  not  until 
some  time  after  that  it  came  out  that  the  goat  had  been 
forced  from  its  owner.  When  I  expressed  my  horror,  I 
was  informed  that  Mtesa's  men  are  accustomed  to  act 
in  this  manner  ! 

"  The  scenery  now  becomes  very  beautiful  and  varied. 
Cormorants,  darters,  belted  kingfishers,  and  a  very  small 
blue  kingfisher,  with  a  bright  red  breast  and  dark  blue 
back,  constantly  cross  our  track.  Crocodiles  and  hippos 
float  lazily  on  the  surface.  We  land  for  lunch.  Bananas 
and  milk  abound.  The  people  all  flock  down  to  see  the 
first  white  men  who  have  ever  passed  that  way.  The 
greatest  excitement  prevails.  They  pull  our  hair  and 
beards;  they  want  to  know  if  my  boots  grow  to  my  feet, 
etc.,  etc.  Their  chief  wears  an  expression  of  delight 
beyond  bounds  at  six  needles  with  which  I  present  him. 
At  sunset  Vv^e  encamped  for  the  night.  Gordon  had  to  be 
lifted  out  of  the  boat.  Ashe  crept  out  and  at  once  went 
to  bed.  There  was  no  firewood.  After  an  hour's  search 
I  found  a  little,  and  bought  some  more,  and  then  super- 
intended the  cooking,  for  the  boys  were  all  worn  out. 
Then  came  Mzee,  and  said  that  I  must  get  the  things 
out  of  the  canoe,  as  it  leaked.  And  so  I  did,  and  most 
of  the  cloth  was  wet  through.  It  was  very  dark,  we  had 
but  one  candle,  and  the  air  was  so  thick  with  mosquitoes 
that  one  might  almost  have  cut  a  slice  from  it  with  a 
knife.  At  last  the  bales  were  got  out,  and  I  sat  down 
to  enjoy  a  well-earned  meal,  when  Duta  came  and  called 
me  from  the  tent  and. said  that  the  men  refused  to  go 
further  unless  they  were  paid  extra  cloth,  and  from  what 
he  had  heard  he  thought  they  meant  to  desert  us.     I 


268  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

kept  this  from  the  brethren  to  spare  them  any  extra 
anxiety,  but  slept  little  that  night.  However,  daylight 
found  the  men  still  there.  Three  valuable  hours  were 
spent  in  haggling,  and  in  the  end  I  had  to  agree  to  pay 
them  more  cloth.  At  11  a.m.  we  started.  We  had  not 
gone  far  when  a  storm  gathered,  and  we  put  into  port ; 
and  only  just  in  time,  for  a  fearful  hurricane  burst  upon 
us.  Great  waves,  like  those  of  the  sea,  rose  almost  in 
an  instant,  and  beat  upon  the  shore,  washing  up  weeds 
and  shells.  By  and  by  we  went  on.  We  passed  a  rocky 
little  island  completely  surrounded  by  crocodiles  drift- 
ing about  on  the  surface  ;  and  one  huge  monster,  which 
had  been  basking  in  the  sun,  rolled  lazily  into  the  water 
and  disappeared  as  we  approached.  By  and  by  three 
hippos  put  their  huge  heads  above  water  and  snorted 
at  us.  They  followed  the  canoe  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. The  hippos  of  the  lake  are  sometimes  very  savage 
and  dangerous.  I  felt  no  temptation  to  have  a  swim. 
The  sun  then  sank  into  the  west,  and  we  were  still  at 
sea.  I  looked  at  the  pale  faces  of  the  invalids,  I  looked 
at  the  luggage,  the  tent,  my  helpless  boys,  and  the  savage 
ruffians  in  the  canoe,  and  my  heart  rather  sank.  We  did 
not  reach  the  camping-place  which  the  boatmen  had 
selected  until  8  p.m.  It  was  so  dark  that  it  was  some 
time  before  we  could  find  a  break  in  the  reeds  through 
which  we  might  wade  ashore,  and  when  we  landed  the 
place  was  so  rocky  and  wet  that  the  tent  could  not  be 
pitched.  We  crept  on  about  half  a  mile  till  we  reached 
a  hut.  We  begged  admittance,  and  the  owner  liberally 
said  that  we  might  occupy  the  goat-house.  *  Impos- 
sible ! '  said  I,  as  I  beheld  the  thatched-in  manure  heap, 
ankle-deep  in  mire,  so  we  returned  tottering  and  stum- 
bling and  down-hearted  to  the  boat.  But  here  things 
were  so  hopeless  that  we  again  made  request  for  admit- 


^t.  35.]  A  Mutinous  Creiv — Romwa.  269 

tance  to  the  hut.  This  time  the  native,  seeing  my  com- 
panions' woful  faces,  generously  vacated  his  dwelling, 
and  we  slept  in  the  open  air  within  his  enclosure. 

"At  2  A.M.  rain  came  on,  and  the  invalids  took  to  the 
hut,  but  I  preferred  wrapping  myself  in  my  waterproof 
and  facing  it.  When  daylight  dawned,  I  found  to  my 
despair  that  the  canoe  had  sunk  during  the  night,  and 
that  almost  everything  we  had  was  drenched.  It  was 
hard  to  think  that  note-books,  barometers,  botanical 
specimens,  etc.,  were  all  injured  and  some  spoiled.  But 
the  man  who  goes  to  Central  Africa  must  learn  '  to  take 
joyfully  the  spoiling  of  his  goods.'  The  old  man  of  the 
sea  and  his  crew  refused  to  bale  the  canoe  out,  so  the 
boys  and  I  set  to  work  in  pouring  rain,  and  by  eleven 
o'clock  the  weather  broke  and  we  started.  Very  soon 
the  clouds  re-formed,  though  evidently  only  for  soft  rain, 
but  the  men  turned  the  head  of  the  canoe  toward  a 
deep  bay,  and  stated  their  intention  of  landing  us  there 
and  taking  us  no  further.  '  Should  we  find  canoes 
there  ? '  '  No.'  '  Was  it  far  from  Romwa's  ? '  '  Yes  ; 
altogether  out  of  the  way.'  '  Why,  we  shall  die  if  we 
are  left  in  this  way.'  '  Well,  Mzee  says  he  will  not  go 
on.'  Then  I  said  in  a  firm,  clear  voice,  '  Give  me  my 
gun.'  I  deliberately  proceeded  to  load  it,  and  pointing 
at  Mzee  at  about  a  yard  distant  from  his  chest,  I  said  : 

"  ^ NoWy  will  you  go  on  ? ' 

*'  *  Yes,  Bwana,  yes  ;  don't  fire  ! '  The  effect  was  mag- 
ical ;  round  flew  the  head  of  the  canoe,  once  more  we 
speeded  over  the  waves  ;  and  a  few  minutes  later  his 
own  men  were  imitating  my  solemn  gestures,  and  laugh- 
ing at  me,  confessing  that,  after  all,  they  were  very  glad 
that  I  had  made  them  go  on.  But  I  had  found  out  a 
secret — I  was,  from  that  moment,  the  master,  and  it  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  our  lives  were  saved  by.  that 


2/0  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

one  prompt  action.  I  could  now  afford  to  be  generous, 
and  so  promised  the  men  a  goat  when  they  landed  if 
they  behaved  themselves  well.  The  offer  was  received 
with  joyous  acclamations,  and  we  paddled  shoreward 
for  lunch,  thinking  all  trouble  over.  When  lunch  was 
finished  and  a  start  made,  they  coolly  said  that  they 
would  go  no  further  than  the  next  village,  and  then 
leave  us.  I  made  no  comment,  thinking  that  I  would  get 
there  first.  To  our  great  delight,  when  we  landed  we 
found  that  the  men  whom  we  had  sent  overland  had  hit 
upon  this  spot,  so  that  now  we  had  a  small  army  of  men 
to  dry  our  goods,  pitch  tent,  and  get  things  in  order. 
We  further  learned  that  Romwa's  capital  was  close  at 
hand.  A  messenger  from  Romwa  himself  soon  arrived, 
and  we  thought  that  all  trouble  was  past.  Alas  !  .  .  .  . 
Well,  first  we  were  detained  tv/o  days,  during  which 
Romwa  made  medicine,  and  consulted  oracles  as  to 
whether  the  white  men  would  harm  him.  The  Delphian 
reply  was,  *  Ths-  white  men  are  good  for  you  and  for 
your  people,  but  injurious  to  the  medicine-men.'  Then 
Romwa  was  not  content  with  his  present.  Asked  why 
I  had  sent  him  such  a  rubbishing  present.  He  was  a 
great  Sultan  ;  he  wanted  cloth  and  guns.  This  was  a 
bitter  pill,  but  we  resolved  not  to  yield. 

"  On  Sunday,  the  7th,  I  failed  with  severe  fever,  but 
could  not  give  way  to  it,  for  somebody  must  see  the 
matter  through.  I  only  remember  suffering  more  pain. 
Romwa  sent  to  ask  the  white  men  to  come  and  visit 
him,  and  next  day  a  start  was  made.  No  sooner  had 
we  got  fairly  off  than  I  perceived  that  there  was  a  terri- 
ble leak  in  the  canoe,  and  that  the  canoemen  were 
drunk.  We  landed  and  repaired  the  mischief,  and  the 
men  plied  themselves  with  more  pombe  (native  wine) 
which  they  had   brought  with   them.     The   result  was 


y^t.  35.1  "  White  man,  be  Cabn^  271 

that  when  we  resumed  our  way  they  were  worse  than 
ever,  and  yelled  and  screamed  until  my  poor  comrades 
were  overcome  by  the  fearful  noise.  The  captain  then 
stood  up  and  executed  a  war-dance  upon  a  bale  of 
goods,  ending  by  falling  upon  me.  This  was  more  than 
I  could  stand,  so  I  gave  him  a  needed  warning  and  said 
that  next  time  he  should  have  a  cold  bath.  In  a  rage 
he  ordered  his  men  to  land  us  at  once.  This  they  re- 
fused to  do,  fearing  Romwa,  and  perhaps  my  wrath 
more  than  the  captain's.  Then  a  free  fight  commenced, 
which  ended  in  the  captain  falling  overboard.  He 
climbed  in  again,  and  furiously  seizing  a  paddle,  aimed 
a  heavy  blow,  as  I  thought,  at  Ashe,  which  happily  just 
missed  him,  but  shivered  the  paddle  to  pieces. 

"  Believe  me,  ill  as  I  was,  I  bounded  from  my  seat, 
seized  him,  pulled  him  down,  and  dared  him  to  move. 
I  was  proceeding  to  further  measures  when  one  of  the 
men  took  me  and  gently  forced  me  back  into  my  seat, 
and  then  proceeded  to  pat  me  on  the  back  and  talk 
in  this  fashion  :  '  White  man,  be  calm,  be  calm  ;  gently, 
gently  ;  don't  disturb  yourself.  We  will  go  on  ;  indeed 
we  will.  White  man,  be  calm;  quietly,  quietly,  quiell^^' 
With  each  word  he  administered  a  gentle  pat,  until  at 
last  I  fairly  burst  out  laughing,  and  the  April  shower  of 
wrath  fled  before  the  sunshine  of  mirth." 

''''Jan.  gth. — Romwa  sent. word  that  he  was  coming  to 
see  us,  so  we  made  ready  to  receive  his  majesty  suitably. 
Presently  a  great  noise  was  heard,  and,  looking  out,  we 
saw  a  long  procession  of  medicine-men  carrying  horns 
full  of  rancid  butter,  probably  mixed  with  blood  ;  then 
came  Romwa  himself,  an  immensely  tall  man,  not  much 
short  of  seven  feet ;  then  wives,  councillors,  and  medi- 
cine-men ad  lib.  We  were  asked  to  place  his  chair  in 
the  centre  of  the  tent,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  seated  him- 


2/2  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

self,  the  horns  were  planted  in  the  ground  all  round  him 
to  protect  him  from  the  white  man's  witcheries.  Nor 
was  this  enough.  As  an  additional  safeguard,  the  mon- 
arch had  anointed  himself  with  castor-oil  from  head  to 
foot.  Never  had  we  been  witness  to  such  a  scene  of  su- 
perstition, nor,  I  think  I  may  add,  smelt  such  a  perfume. 
"  Romwa  was  anxious  that  we  should  stay  and  build, 
but  he  soon  got  upon  the  universal  subject  of  give.  I 
told  him  that  I  had  a  very  handsome  robe  for  him,  but 
no  cloth  and  no  guns,  whereupon  he  rose  in  a  passion 
and  stalked  off,  saying  he  was  a  great  chief,  and  would 
have  a  great  present.  We  were  betrayed.  Instead  of 
the  mild  sage  we  had  been  led  to  suppose  him,  we  saw 
the  royal  savage  in  his  true  colors.  And  yet,  in  spite  of 
his  being  one  of  the  worst  men  we  had  to  deal  with, 
there  was  something  in  him  that  I  loved.  When  alone 
with  me  and  free  for  a  few  minutes  from  the  influence 
of  his  medicine-men,  he  would  grow  kindly,  would  feel 
my  pulse,  and  pat  my  fevered  brow." 

Romwa  continued  to  demand  guns,  which  the  Mission 
party  steadily  refused,  though  their  lives  were  made  a 
burden  to  them  by  the  exactions  of  their  host.  Han- 
nington, speaking  of  that  first  day,  says  :  "  The  day  ends. 
Never,  I  think,  did  I  pass  through  one  much  worse,  for 
in  addition  to  the  incessant  worry,  I  was  very  seriously 
ill,  having  to  speak  constantly  when  utterly  unfit  to  do 
so." 

*'  \oth. — A  terrible  night  of  fever,  and  inclined  to  be 
delirious.  Romwa  arrived  early,  and  in  rather  a  better 
temper  than  yesterday.  He  gave  permission  for  us  to 
move  up  the  hill,  as  our  present  situation  is  very  low. 
I  had  several  semi-faints  while  moving,  but  managed  to 
walk  up  the  hill,  only  collapsing  twice  on  the  way  up. 


JEt.  35.]  Romtvas  Extortions.  273 

It  was  a  most  lovely  spot.  We  pitched  our  tents  upon 
a  rocky  eminence  clothed  with  beautiful  foliage,  from 
whence  we  gazed  out  upon  the  broad  expanse  of  the 
mighty  inland  sea." 

The  next  day  Romwa  repeated  his  demands  for  pres- 
ents. He  took  a  fancy  to  Duta's  gun,  and  requested 
that  it  might  be  sent  to  him  at  once.  Hannington  ab- 
solutely refused.  He  said  that  nothing  should  be  taken 
by  force  from  his  servant.  Romwa,  seeing  that  he  was 
firm,  offered  Duta  two  inferior  guns  in  exchange.  The 
frightened  boy  unwillingly  consented,  and  Romwa  ap- 
peared in  the  distance,  afraid  to  expose  himself  to  witch- 
craft, but  shouting  his  orders  from  a  neighboring  rock. 
As  soon  as  the  gun  v/as  taken  from  Duta,  Hannington 
ordered  the  tent  to  be  struck,  and  stated  that  his  party 
would  at  once  leave  the  country.  Romwa  shouted  back 
that,  in  that  case,  they  would  have  to  pay  two  hundred 
cloths  as  hongo,  as  they  would  not  leave  as  friends. 
Hannington  replied  that,  rather  than  be  so  treated,  he 
would  pay  and  go.  Romwa  now  perceived  that  he  had 
gone  too  far,  and  sent  a  more  conciliatory  message,  but 
they  told  him  that  they  were  fully  determined  not  to  re- 
main unless  they  were  allowed  perfect  liberty  to  come 
and  go  as  they  liked,  and  were  guaranteed  against  ex- 
tortion. Toemphasize  this,  the  tent  was  struck.  Romwa 
now  gave  in,  and  granted  all  they  asked,  but  for  some 
time  they  were  in  a  very  awkward  position,  and  felt  that 
they  were  kept  there  as  a  kind  of  state  prisoners,  and  at 
his  mercy.  However,  at  last,  the  king  consented  that 
Hannington  should  proceed  by  himself  to  U-Ganda, 
upon  condition  that  the  others  remained.  On  Jan. 
2 2d,  he  accordingly  started  in  a  canoe  with  two  of  his 
boys.  The  usual  procrastination  delayed  the  start,  and 
by  midnight  the  canoe  and  its  occupants  had  not  made 


274 


James  Hannlngton. 


[A.D.  \\ 


much  way.  Hannington  says:  *' We  crept  quietly  ashore, 
uncertain  whether  the  people  were  friendly  or  not.  A 
storm  on  the  lake  had  drenched  all  our  things.  I  had 
my  wet  bed  and  blankets  carried  up  a  little  way  from 
the  swamp-belt  of  the  lake.  The  boys  and  men  were 
afraid  to  remain  with  me  so  far  from  the  canoe,  so  I  laid 
my  weary  frame  to  rest  under  my  umbrella,  for  it  was 
raining,  and  unmindful  of  natives  or  beasts   of  prey,  I 


M;S$  ^  m^d^M 


commended  myself  to  the  care  of  the  Almighty,  and  fell 
asleep.  Soon  a  tremendous  roar  close  to  my  head  caused 
me  to  start  wide  awake.  What  could  it  be — a  lion  ? 
No;  lions  are  not  so  noisy.  It  was  only  a  hippopotamus. 
He  had,  no  doubt,  come  up  to  feed,  and  stumbled  nearly 
on  top  of  this  strange  object,  a  sleeping  white  man  with 
an  umbrella  over  his  head  ;  so  bellowing  out  his  sur- 
prise he  made  off  for  the  lake," 


Hannington's  sketch,  of  which  the  subjoined  is  a  not 
unfaithful  reproduction,  does    not    altogether  give  the 


JEt.  35.]       Hospitality  of  the  French  Priests.  275 

idea  of  a  night  scene,  but  is  otherwise  very  graphic,  and 
illustrates  not  only  the  incident,  but  the  humorous  good 
temper  with  which  he  was  accustomed  to  regard  the  dis- 
comforts and  perils  of  a  missionary  life. 

"  Before  daybreak  we  were  off,  and  soon  reached 
Kagei.  I  was  welcomed  by  the  Arab  chief,  Sayed  bin 
Saif — *  the  white  man's  friend  ' — and  as  I  was  seated, 
sipping  some  delicious  coffee,  a  strange  white  man 
stood  before  me.  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  only  to  hear, 
'Bon  jour.  Monsieur,  C'est  M.  Hannington,  n'est-ce 
pas  ?  '  and  then  I  knew  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  one 
of  the  French  Jesuits.  They  had  recently  left  U-Ganda, 
and  had  much  to  tell  me  of  our  party  at  Rubaga,  who 
were  anxiously  expecting  my  arrival. 

"  24//;. — I  had  no  sooner  finished  my  usual  cup  of 
milk  and  porridge,  than  one  of  the  priests  arrived  and 
bade  me  to  breakfast.  I  expected  a  cup  of  coffee,  but 
found  dejeilner  a  la  fourchette,  and  at  six  o'clock  the  hos- 
pitable priests  again  provided  for  me  a  sumptuous  din- 
ner.    They  were  very  brotherly  and  kind." 

Sayed  bin  Saif  also  treated  Hannington  right  royally 
during  his  short  stay  at  Kagei,  and  kept  his  table  sup- 
plied with  delicacies. 

He  says  :  "  To-day  being  Sunday,  he  sent  me  an  extra 
grand  spread.  A  chicken  stuffed  with  almonds  and 
raisins  ;  a  rich  cake  beautifully  prepared  with  honey, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  have  sent  me  a  second 
edition  at  night,  but  when  he  called  to  see  how  I  was,  I 
begged  him  to  send  no  more  to-day,  as  I  had  had  enough 
for  both  meals." 

When  Mr.  Gordon  arrived  the  large-hearted  Arab 
sent  him  a  special  dish  of  curried  beef,  with  rice  banked 
up  on  it,  mixed  with  raisins  and  all  manner  of  curious 


276  James  Hannington.  [A.D,  1883. 

spices.  Hannington  says  :  "  This  change  of  food  has 
benefited  us  ;  we  have  scarcely  tasted  meat  for  th  ee 
months." 

"  I  now  began,"  he  writes,  "  to  prepare  for  the  journey 
onward  to  Rubaga.  Resolving  not  to  return  to  Romwa's, 
I  sent  canoes  to  try  and  bring  off  Gordon  and  Ashe,  if 
necessary,  even  by  stealth.  However,  in  a  favorable 
mood,  Romwa  consented  to  their  departure  ;  so  Ashe 
returned  to  Msalala,  and  Gordon  joined  me  at  Kaeei. 
We  then  agreed  that  I  should  go  round  by  land  to 
Msalala  and  bring  the  remainder  of  our  goods  to  Kagei; 
after  which  we  hoped,  both  of  us,  to  be  able  to  proceed 
to  Buganda. 

''''Jan.  Tpth. — Took  leave  of  the  French  priests  and 
Sayed  bin  Saif.  The  latter  was  suffering  from  head- 
ache, and  was  greatly  delighted  with  some  'sherbet' 
(Eno's  Fruit  Salt)  which  I  gave  him.  I  also  presented 
him  with  our  barometer,  an  article  which  I  knew  he  was 
most  ambitious  to  possess.  1.30,  started  with  six  men, 
a  slave  of  the  Arab's,  and  a  guide,  with  my  faithful 
Duta  and  Ibrahim.  Walked  till  4,  and  camped  in  a  very 
pretty  village  in  U-Sukuma." 

"  I  had  to  cross  U-Rima,  in  parts  of  which  they  had 
never  seen  a  white  man  before.  I  had  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  they  would  molest  me.  However,  on  Feb.  4th, 
a  number  of  warriors,  almost  two  hundred,  turned  out 
and  surrounded  me.  The  least  show  of  resistance  or  of 
fear  on  our  part  might  easily  have  been  fatal.  They 
peremptorily  ordered  me  to  stop  and  pitch  my  tent,  and 
then  they  surrounded  me  with  a  cordon  of  armed  men 
to  prevent  my  escape.  In  the  meanwhile  they  des- 
patched runners  to  the  chief  of  U-Rima,  to  tell  him 
that  they  had  captured  a  white  man,  and  to  ask  what 
they  should  do  with  him.     I  was  kept  in  this  durance 


JEt.  35.]  A   Council  of  War.  277 

vile  for  the  whole  day,  but  I  punished  the  rough  soldiers 
around  me,  and  myself  not  a  little,  by  sulking  within  my 
closed  tent,  so  that  they  were  unable  to  inspect  either 
me  or  my  things.  Just  about  sunset  an  ambassador  ar- 
rived from  the  chief,  demanding  a  present.  I  assured 
him  that  I  had  nothing  suitable  with  me,  whereupon  he 
replied  that  he  must  be  convinced  that  I  spoke  the  truth. 
So,  accordingly,  I  had  to  show  him  all  I  possessed.  At 
my  blanket — )'ou  know  my  blanket,  it  has  been  my  com- 
panion for  fifteen  years — he  paused.  '  He  must  have 
that  blanket,  Bwana  Mkubwa  (great  master).'  I  said, 
'  The  white  man  is  cold  ;  he  wants  much  clothes.  If  you 
take  his  blanket  he  will  die.  When  the  sun  is  gone  to 
rest  the  white  man  grows  chill.  Leave  him  his  blanket.' 
The  earnestness  of  my  eloquence  prevailed,  and  the  next 
day  I  was  permitted  to  depart  on  condition  that  a  mes- 
senger should  accompany  me  to  receive  a  present  when 
we  reached  Msalala. 

"  Then  arose  a  question  about  canoes  to  cross  the  Nul- 
lah. At  first  they  were  denied,  but  after  a  great  deal  of 
palaver,  my  arguments  again  prevailed.  A  council  of  war 
on  an  occasion  of  this  kind  was  really  a  fine  sight.  I 
would  sit  on  my  bed  in  the  tent  and  have  the  curtains 
at  both  ends  flung  aside.  Then  the  ambassador  would 
take  the  seat  of  honor  next  to  me,  his  chief  attendants 
near  him,  while  close  to  me  would  be  my  men  and  boys. 
All  around  the  tent  without  would  crowd  a  throng  of 
breathless  listeners.  I  would  tell  my  head  man  in  Kis- 
wahili  what  I  wanted,  and  this  he  would  translate  in 
Kirima  to  the  ambassador.  He  would  say  three  or  four 
words  only  at  a  time,  snapping  his  fingers  between  each 
sentence,  and  further  pausing  for  the  audience  to  ex- 
claim '-Baba.'  As  for  example  :  'The  great  white  man  ' 
('Baba!')  'has  come  a  long  distance'  (' Baba  ! ').     'He 


27^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

has  come. to  teach  the  black  man  '  (' Baba  !  Baba  !  Ba- 
ba  ! ').  *  He  asks  the  black  man  to  be  kind  '  ('  Baba  !  * 
rather  feebly);  and  so  on  ;  and  if  he  spoke  for  an  hour, 
no  one  would  move,  or  interrupt,  or  object  until  he  had 
concluded.  Then  all  eyes  would  be  turned  to  the  am- 
bassador, who  in  the  same  solemn  way  would  state  his 
objections.  The  first  council  of  this  kind  is  amusing 
enough,  but  when  they  come  to  be  repeated  two  or  three 
times  a  day,  one's  patience  is  most  sorely  taxed.  The  pa- 
tience required  in  dealing  with  Africans  is  almost  super- 
human." 

All  this  time  Hannington  was  in  great  distress  of  body. 
The  very  day  after  he  left  Kagei  he  wrote  in  his  diary  : 
"Very  ill  with  dysentery  and  violent  internal  pain.  My 
liver,  too,  is  in  such  a  state  that  I  have  to  walk  with  my 
hands  tied  to  my  neck  to  prevent  my  arms  moving,  as 
their  least  motion  gives  me  intense  pain."  And  so  on, 
from  day  to  day,  ever  from  bad  to  worse,  till,  fainting 
and  exhausted  with  cruel  suffering,  he  barely  crawled 
to  his  friend's  tent  at  Msalala.  He  had  struggled  long 
and  gamely,  but  his  weakness  nov/  came  upon  him  sud- 
denly like  an  armed  man  ;  he  could  no  longer  hide  from 
himself  the  bitter  truth  ;  and  the  brave  heart  which  had 
so  long  supported  him  at  last  gave  way.  He  confessed 
that  he  was  "  done." 


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CHAPTER  XVII. 

BEATEN    BACK. 

(1883.) 

"  In  la  sua  voluntade  e  nostra  pace." 

In  His  will  is  our  peace.     •  Dante. 

"  Joie,  pleurs  de  joie  ;  renonciation  totale  et  douce." 

Pascal. 

When  Hannington  bade  farewell  to  his  friends  at 
Kagei  and  started  for  Msalala,  no  one  would  have  been 
more  incredulous  than  himself  had  it  been  suggested 
that  he  was  also  bidding  farewell  to  Africa.  But  it  was 
even  so.  His  struggles  against  those  increasing  symp- 
toms by  which  an  over-wrought  nature  was  giving  him 
notice  of  her  inability  longer  to  endure  the  strain  put 
upon  her,  had  been  heroic.  He  had  refused  to  believe 
that  he  was  to  be  stopped  before  he  reached  his  des- 
tination, and  had  set  his  face  desperately  toward  the 
goal  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  But  it  began  now  to  dawn 
upon  his  reluctant  mind  that  he  was  beaten. 

Racked  with  fever  ;  torn  by  dysentery,  scarce  able  to 
stand  upright  under  the  grip  of  its  gnawing  agony;  with 
his  arms  lashed  to  his  neck  lest  their  least  movement 
should  cause  intolerable  anguish  to  his  diseased  and 
swollen  liver — the  bright  and  buoyant  figure  which  had 
so  often  led  the  caravan  with  that  swinging  stride  of 
his,  or  which  had  forgotten  fatigue  at  the  close  of  a 
long  march,  and  dashed  off  in  pursuit  of  some  rare  in- 
sect— 

(279) 


28o  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

"  His  beard  a  foot  before  him,  and  his  hair  a  yard  behind," 
was  now  bent  and  feeble,  like  that  of  a  very  old  man. 

Very  pitiful  is  it  to  read  the  following — the  words 
sound  like  a  groan  :  "  I  am,  I  regret  to  say,  beginning 
to  look  backwards.  My  life  has  become  a  burden  to  me. 
Oh,  it  should  not  be."  When  at  last  he  reached  Msala- 
la,  after  a  week's  painful  travel,  he  unburdened  his  heart 
to  Mr.  Ashe., 

"The  reply  was,  '  Listen  to  a  letter  which  I  have  writ- 
ten to  the  Committee  about  you.'  It  ran  somewhat  as 
follows  :  *  Hannington  is  pressing  on  against  all  our  ad- 
vice :  if  he  still  lives,  I  look  upon  it  as  your  duty  to  re- 
call him.'  " 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Ashe  was  right.  To 
have  persisted  under  such  circumstances  would  have 
been  little  short  of  suicide.  "  So,"  writes  Hannington, 
"  with  a  heart  bowed  with  disappointment,  I  consented 
to  leave  those  brave  men  to  bear  the  burden  and  heat 
of  the  day  by  themselves.  Yet,  though  deeply  thankful 
for  a  spared  life,  I  have  never  ceased  to  regret  that,  in 
a  weak  moment,  I  looked  back." 

To  Mr.  Wigram  he  wrote  in  a  very  broken- hearted 
way  :  "  I  dread  to  write  to  you,  because  my  letter  is  one 
of  the  keenest  disappointment,  and  contains   no   good 

news I  am  not  dull  at  my  broken  health  and  the 

constant  pain  I  suffer.  I  am  not  dull  at  the  very  slight 
prospect,  from  a  human  point  of  view,  that  I  shall  ever 
reach  home.  I  am  dull  that  I  have  been  permitted  to  do 
so  little  for  the  Society.  I  am  dull  because  I  think  that  a 
few  pounds  extra  in  outfit  v.^ould  have  made  an  immense 
difference  to  me.  If  I  live  a  little  longer  I  will  write  a 
short  list  of  things  that  I  have  personally  suffered  much 
from  not  having.  ^10  will,  I  think,  cover  them  all.  I 
blame  no  one.     It  was  simply  a  matter  of  want  of  expe- 


/Et.  35.]  Retreat.  281 

rience.     But,  alas  !  it  costs  both  myself  and  the  Society- 
much,  for  I  am  a  practical  failure,  and  I  have  suffered 

terribly.     Forgive  me I  hope  my  heart  is  full  of 

praise  for  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Lord.     Even  to-day 
I  have  experienced  that." 

Hannington  now  made  arrangements,  with  a  sad  heart 
enough,  for  his  departure.  He  arranged  that  Mr.  Ashe 
should  take  his  place,  and  accompany  Mr.  Gordon  to 
Rubaga.  He  established  Mr.  Wise  at  Kagei.  He  re- 
ceived a  deputation  from  the  wily  Romwa,  who,  "  like 
Pharaoh,  regretted  that  he  had  let  the  people  go." 
Then,  having  put  everything  in  as  good  order  as  he  was 
able,  and  committed  his  fellow-workers  and  their  Holy 
Cause  to  the  keeping  of  his  God,  he  threw  himself  into 
the  same  strong  Hands,  and,  turning  his  face  away  from 
the  great  lake,  commenced  the  long  and  weary  journey 
to  the  distant  coast.  Alas  !  how  different  was  the 
aspect  of  that  wild  country  to  him  7io%v  to  the  seeming 
of  the  land  when  he  had  entered  it  seven  months  be- 
fore. Then  it  was  the  land  of  hope,  and  every  step  of 
the  march  over  that  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles  of 
forest,  morass,  and  desert — from  the  moment  when  he 
leapt  into  the  water  and  waded  ashore  at  Saadani,  to 
that  in  which  he  gazed  upon  the  waters  of  the  Victoria 
Nyanza — had  been  lighted  up  by  the  gladness  of  his 
own  heart,  and  the  thought  that  every  stage  of  the 
journey  was  one  march  nearer  the  sphere  of  his  work. 
Now,  he  was  returning,  a  disappointed  man — in  his  own 
opinion,  and  that  of  his  friends,  appointed  to  die.  He 
writes  to  Mr.  Wigram  from  Uyui  :  "  The  rainy  season  is 
just  at  its  worst.  Blackburn  is  going  to  see  me  on  my 
way.  Perhaps  it  won't  be  far.  I  am  going  on  and  on, 
but  against  hope  ;  I  am  now  a  complete  wreck.  Do  not 
make  this  public,  for  I  do  not  wish  my  wife  to  see  this 


282  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

mail.  I  have  much  want  to  write,  but  can't."  So  he 
writes  in  disjointed  sentences;  and,  from  the  quavering 
formation  of  the  characters  and  the  straggHng  trend  of 
the  lines,  the  reader  of  that  letter  can  easily  surmise  his 
extreme  weakness  and  exhaustion.  It  is  wonderful  to 
note  how,  under  such  circumstances,  he  still  continued 
to  look  at  things  from  their  bright  side,  and  to  take 
advantage  of  every  happy  or  humorous  incident  of  the 
journey  for  future  description  and  delineation.  In  him 
the  old  proverb,  "  There  is  life  for  a  living  one,"  found 
its  most  literal  illustration. 

But  we  must  give  a  few  extracts  from  his  own  journal. 

"  Feb.  gi/i. — I  have  arranged  to  start  to-day  from 
Msalala.  It  was  a  sad  moment  saying  good-bye  to  Ashe 
and  Duta." 

As  we  have  seen,  Hannington  possessed  a  wonderful 
gift  of  attracting  to  himself  the  devoted  attachment  of 
young  men.  His  English  servant  had  thrown  his  arms 
about  his  neck  and  wept  passionately  when  he  left  Hurst- 
pierpoint ;  his  black  boys,  also,  felt  and  owned  his  in- 
fluence. Duta  was  no  exception.  When  left  alone  with 
him  upon  one  occasion,  Hannington  wrote  of  him  in  the 
following  terms:  "I  am  now  under  the  most  tender  care 
of  my  faithful  boy.  However  ill,  I  should  be  content  to 
be  in  his  hands.  The  Lord  has  indeed  blessed  me  in 
this  respect,  for  none  of  the  others  have  been  able  to 
get  on  with  their  boys." 

"11///,  Sunday. — I  had  the  Service  to  myself,  and  was 
refreshed  by  it  and  the  pleasant  rest.  I  have  tried  to 
hire  men  to  carry  me,  but  cannot  conscientiously  afford 
their  price. 

"12///. — Started  at  daybreak,  and  soon  entered  the 
plain.     It  was  covered  with  thick  grass,  wringing  wet 


JEt.  3S-]  Horrors  of  the  Rainy  Season.  283 

with  dew  and  higher  than  one's  head,  and  there  was 
water  in  most  places  up  to  the  ankles;  elsewhere  mud 
of  the  most  horrible  consistence.  No  Sussex  fallow 
ever  bound  more  tenaciously.  The  detonations  were  as 
loud  sometimes  as  pistol-pops  as  the  foot  was  drawn 
out  and  the  air  rushed  into  the  deep  hole  in  which  it 
had  been  imbedded.  Several  times  I  thought  I  must 
give  up  before  the  three  hours'  march  was  over.  Then 
came  a  second  plain,  vv^ith  even  worse  ground  and  more 
water.  One  of  those  tropical  showers  came  on,  accom- 
panied by  thunder  and  lightning,  and  we  took  refuge  in 
a  native  hut,  while  the  ground  literally  ran  with  water. 

"  13///. — I  was  so  exhausted  yesterday  that  I  thought 
it  advisable  to  try  to  get  carried  to-day,  but  could  not 
succeed  in  making  an  arrangement,  so  walked  as  far  as 
the  little  Sultan's.  They  were  at  war.  Two  corpses  lay 
in  the  path,  evidently  only  just  killed.  One  was  head- 
less. On  arriving  at  the  village,  I  found  the  people  in 
the  most  turbulent  and  excited  state,  just  starting  upon 
another  raid.  One  old  man,  of  disgusting  and  truculent 
aspect,  and  with  a  piece  of  the  brain  of  the  beheaded 
man  tied  to  his  hair  and  hanging  down  upon  his  fore- 
head, was  addressing  a  wild  mob.  I  am  failing  with 
fever,  and  have  a  splitting  headache.  The  drums  are 
beating  and  the  people  incessantly  yelling.  The  little 
Sultan  took  up  his  abode  in  my  tent,  and  wanted  every- 
thing. Fortunately,  he  was  sufficiently  amused  to  let 
me  go  on  with  my  writing.  ,  While  I  am  writing  these 
words  he  has  got  hold  of  my  breechloader  in  one  hand, 
and  is  making  a  raid  upon  the  arrowroot  box  with  tlie 
other.  To  my  great  terror,  my  gold  spectacles  are  next 
on  his  nose,  and  he  is  asking  to  go  for  a  walk  in  them, 
and  to  be  allowed  to  carry  the  gun.  I  can't  very  w^ell 
refuse,  so  I  follow  him  and  see  him,  so  caparisoned,  join 


284  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

in  the  war-dance  of  his  warriors.  The  war-dance  was 
most  ferocious.  The  warriors,  all  armed  to  the  teeth, 
make  a  sham  attack,  then  they  retire,  and  the  women 
rush  in  and  encourage  them,  yelling  with  their  shrill 
voices  like  demons.  The  drums  beat  with  incessant  fury, 
while  guns  are  discharged  and  bullets  whiz  past  in  the 
most  promiscuous  manner.  It  was  no  small  satisfaction 
to  me  when,  at  last,  the  warriors  retired  to  the  proper 
field  of  battle,  and  left  the  village  in  comparative  peace. 

"  14M. — Dysentery  and  extreme  exhaustion.  I  hired 
men  who  carried  me.  Met  Edmonds,  who  was  on  the 
march  to  Msalala.  He  returned  with  me,  sending  the 
caravan  and  cloth  in  charge  of  Bunduki  to  Ashe. 

"15//%. —  Had  been  told  that  a  midnight  attack  upon 
the  village  might  be  expected — rather,  I  think,  with 
the  view  of  finding  out  whether  I  could  be  relied 
upon  to  help  in  such  an  emergency.  Towards  the 
small  hours  I  was  awaked  by  a  shot,  and  heard  the 
whiz  of  a  bullet;  then  some  twenty  shots  or  more. 
'Am  I  to  fight,'  said  I  to  myself,  'or  not?'  'Am  I  to 
see  this   village  burnt  to  the  ground,   my  men  killed, 

myself ?'     Then  I  heard  a  laugh.     'It  is  not  war,' 

thought  I  ;  '  I  will  answer  that  question  another  time.' 
So  I  turned  over  and  went  to  sleep.  The  next  morning 
we  heard  that  it  was  a  lion  which  had  sprung  over  the 
stockade  into  the  cattle-pen.  Lions  are  dangerous  some- 
times. At  Uyui  there  was  no  door  to  the  room  in  which  I 
slept,  and  the  very  day  after  I  left  it  I  was  told  that  a  lion 
had  seized  and  killed  a  woman  in  broad  daylight,  close  by. 

"  \']th. — Tooth  extracted  by  one  of  the  French  priests 
whom  we  met  just  past  Shimami's.  To  my  despair,  he 
produced  a  very  rough  hawk's-bill  instrument,  had  one 
or  two  tries  to  adjust  it,  and  finally  broke  the  tooth  off ; 
however,  he  relieved  the  pain. 


^t.  35. 


Method  of  Crossing  Water. 


285 


"  i2>th,  Simday. — We  invited  the  priests  to  meals.  Had 
our  morning  Service.  Both  touched  with  fever.  I  was 
very  ill  during  the  night,  but  got  some  valuable  hints 
from  the  priests. 

"  \^th. — The  French  priests  took  leave  of  us,  and  one 
of    them   presented   me   with   a  very   curious   pair   of 


CROSSING    A    LAKE. 

U-Ganda  shoes,  which  I  gladly  accepted  to  add  to  my 
collection. 

"As  we  marched  we  fell  in  with  many  rivers  and 
morasses,  and  the  rains  became  so  heavy  that  I  doubted 
whether  we  could  go  much  further.  There  was  an  im- 
mense deal  of  water  on  the  road,  sometimes  ankle,  some- 
times knee-deep,  and  sometimes  I  have  been  carried  for 
the  best  part  of  an  hour  with  the  water  up  to  the  men's 


chins.  In  cases  of  this  kind  I  used  to  cling  round  the 
pole  of  my  hammock,  and  six  men  would  carry  me  on 
their  heads,  as  if  I  were  a  log  of  wood.  I  have  often 
thought  of  poor  Dr.  Livingstone's  trials,  and  realized 
what  he  went  through,  for  my  own  experience  very 
closely  resembled  his.     If  the   picture  on  the  cover  of 


286  James  Hanningto7i.  [A.D.  1883. 

'  His  Last  Journals'  is  correct,  my  mode  of  being  car- 
ried across  deep  streams  is,  I  think,  better  than  his.  If 
you  glance  at  the  illustration  you  will  see  that  I  knelt 
on  the  shoulders  of  a  tall,  powerful  man,  and  held  the 
uplifted  hands  of  another  in  front,  while  a  third  behind 
grasped  my  feet  and  kept  us  steady.  In  very  swift 
streams,  sometimes  six  or  eight  men  were  required  to 
keep  the  three  bearers,  with  their  burden,  from  being 
swept  away.* 

"These  floods  kept  me  in  constant  suspense  lest,  in 
my  weak  state,  I  should  be  plunged  into  the  water;  but 
far  worse  are  the  morasses.     For  a  mile  together  I  have 


been  borne  through  the  most  horrible  black  mud,  often 
above  the  knee.  This  was  exceedingly  fatiguing  for  the 
men  and  trying  to  me,  the  more  so  as  I  knew  that  I  was 
inhaling  malarious  poison  of  the  worst  description. 

"  2T^rd. — My  men  again  ran  away,  and  I  had  to  walk, 
or  rather  crawl,  for  fifteen  miles,  which  tired  greatly  my 
poor  little  strength.  We  crossed  a  picturesque  bridge 
over  a  very  wide  river,  and  reached  our  friends  at 
Urambo  at  about  12  o'clock,  and  received  a  very  kind 
welcome."     (This  is  a  station  of  the  L.  M.  S.) 

"  Shaw  kindly  received  me,  and  Willougliby  enter- 
tained Edmonds,  who  had  joined  me  a  few  days  before. 

*  The  above  and  succeeding  sketches  are  all  reduced  fac -similes 
from  the  Bishop's  note-book. 


^t.  35.]  King  Mirambo,  287 

Willoughby  was  not  in  when  I  arrived.  He  has  since  told 
me  that  Shaw  came  outside  the  house  to  tell  him  that 
he  would  find  me  very  altered — dying,  in  fact — but  he 
must  not  appear  to  notice  the  change,  lest  it  should 
alarm  me.  He  asked  my  black  men  about  me.  They 
replied,  'Master  must  die;  he  is  sure  to  die;  but  how 
is  it  master  is  always  so  happy  ?  Black  man  would  lie 
down  by  the  side  of  the  road  and  die  like  a  sheep.'* 

"  Penry,  one  of  the  L.  M.  S.  men,  who  had  also  been 
ill  and  was  returning  home,  wished  to  join  me.  This 
delayed  me  a  few  days,  during  which  time  I  had  an  in- 
terview with  the  celebrated  King  Mirambo.  Mirambo's 
history  is  too  long  for  me  to  attempt  to  give  it  here. 
He  was  first  called  Mtelya,  but  in  consequence  of  his 
many  victories  he  assumed  the  name  of  Mirambo,  which 
seems  to  mean,  '  Killing  many  men.'  He  is  further  sur- 
named  Nzige,  or  Locust,  because  they  say  he  eats  up 
all  before  him  ;  and  lately  he  has  added  the  name  of 
Malomo-Maliu,  or  Five  Lamps,  being  the  number  of  im- 
portant places  around,  in  all  of  which,  as  he  says,  '  he  is 
able  to  discern  between  friends  and  foes.' 

"  Before  Mirambo  came  to  the  throne  he  used  to  get 
drunk  on  pombe  just  as  others  ;  when,  however,  he  was 
made  king,  he  at  once  became  a  total  abstainer,  for  he 
said,  '  I  could  not  do  all  my  business  and  govern  my 
people  well  if  I  drank  pombe.'  He  was  formerly  a  most 
bloodthirsty  tyrant,  inspiring  terror  for  miles  roynd  ; 
but  now,  though  not  yet  a  Christian,  he  has  been  strong- 

*  On  two  occasions  the  bearers  laid  what  they  believed  to  be  his 
lifeless  body  on  the  ground,  and  left  it,  saying  that  it  was  useless 
to  concern  themselves  further  about  a  corpse.  Each  time  con- 
sciousness returned,  and  he  crawled  painfully  after  the  caravan  till 
he  was  discovered.  But  through  all,  his  patience  and  cheerfulness 
never  forsook  him. 


288  James  Haimington.  [A.D.  1883. 

ly  influenced  by  Christianity,  and  is  very  favorable  to 
Missionaries. 

"  Justice  in  Urambo  is  swift  and  sudden.  A  short 
time  before  our  arrival  the  king  had  ordered  a  levy  of 
men  to  be  made  in  the  surrounding  villages.  Three 
men  in  a  distant  village  made  excuse,  saying  they  were 
ill.  The  next  day  Mirambo,  without  any  warning,  ar- 
rived in  that  village,  and  found  them  busily  engaged 
with  their  own  work.  He  immediately  ordered  their 
heads  to  be  struck  off.  The  resident  Missionary  said  to 
him,  '  Mirambo,  our  Queen  is  a  great  Sovereign  ;  she 
never  does  things  of  this  sort';  and  then  he  proceeded 
to  explain  to  him  the  judge  and  jury  system. 

"  *  Yes,'  replied  Mirambo,  '  that  is  very  good  for  your 
Queen  ;  she  is,  no  doubt,  surrounded  by  clever  gentle- 
men ;  but  it  would  not  do  for  me.  My  people  are  so 
foolish,  I  can  only  govern  them  in  this  way.' 

"  When  Captain  Hore  of  the  L.  M.  S.  passed  through, 
Mirambo  gave  special  instructions  that  no  one  should 
raise  a  finger  against  his  white  friend.  The  night  before 
he  left  the  capital,  one  of  Mirambo's  pages  was  caught 
stealing,  and,  as  a  slight  punishment,  was  tied  to  a  post. 
It  happened  that  Mirambo,  visiting  the  white  man's 
camp  in  the  early  morning,  before  the  rest  were  awake, 
spied  his  own  page  in  durance  vile.  He  hastily  retired, 
and  by  and  by  sent  down  privately  to  inquire  how  this 
came  about.  He  heard,  and  held  his  peace  until  Cap- 
tain Hore  had  depai'ted  ;  he  then  sent  for  his  page,  who 
had  returned  to  the  palace. 

"  *  Where  were  you  last  night  ?  '  *  Thy  servant  went 
no  whither,'  was  the  unblushing  lie.  *  Then  I  will  tell 
you  where  you  went';  and  so  he  recounted  all.  '  Now,' 
said  he,  '  I  will  teach  my  people  not  to  disobey  orders, 
and  molest  my  white  friends.'     So  he  took  a  bow  and 


JEt.  35.]  Examined  by  a  Medicine-man.  289 

arrow  and  shot  him  through  the  heart,  and  then,  as  he 
did  not  die  instantly,  took  his  bow  and  bowsirung  him. 
The  act  was  cruel  and  severe,  but  the  circumstances  of 
the  case  must  be  remembered.  It  is  a  noted  fact  that 
he  is  not  accustomed  to  put  anybody  to  death  with  his 
own  hand,  but  always  employs  an  executioner.  In  this 
case  he  made  a  special  exception,  in  order  to  let  his 
people  know  that  he  had  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
theft,  and  that  he  meant  to  stand  by  the  white  man  and 
protect  him  from  molestation. 

"  One  of  his  medicine-men  came  to  examine  me.  This 
man  was  of  vastly  superior  morality  to  the  majority  of 
his  fellows.  His  method  was  to  use  a  pair  of  lazy-tongs, 
with  a  little  figure  at  the  end,  over  which  he  appeared 
to  breathe  a  prayer.  When  the  doll  had  peered  into  my 
chest,  by  an  almost  imperceptible  turn  of  the  wrist  it 
returned  to  its  master  to  deliver  its  message.  This  was 
thrice  repeated,  and  then  I  was  told  that  I  had  a  cold, 
which,  considering  that  I  had  been  coughing  and  sneez- 
ing ever  since  I  had  been  in  the  hut,  was  easy  to  guess 
and  impossible  to  deny.  I  questioned  him  about  his- 
medicine,  and  asked  if  he  thought  that  putting  a  little 
bottle  in  the  earth,  and  saying  a  few  words  over  it,  could 
make  rain.  He  replied  :  *  Certainly  not  !  only  God 
could  make  rain  ;  but  how  can  we  expect  Him  to  do  so 
unless  we  pray  and  make  right  offerings  ? '  He  always 
went  into  the  forest  to  pray,  so  we  asked  him  if  God 
was  only  in  the  forest  ?  *  No  ;  but  the  forest  is  retired 
and  quiet.  There  is  only  one  God.'  Here,  of  course, 
was  a  great  opening  for  Gospel  teaching,  which  he  was 
quite  ready  to  listen  to. 

"  Now,  lest  any  should  think  that  this  man  was  suffi- 
ciently enlightened,  and  stood  in  no  need  of  our  teach- 
ing, hear  the  following  tale.  His  son  was  dying,  and  he 
13 


290  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

sent  a  message  to  Mirambo  to  accuse  a  man  of  bewitch- 
ing him.  The  answer  was  :  'You  know  the  punishment 
for  witchcraft  ;  apply  it.'  The  accused,  however,  was  a 
desperate  character,  and  nobody  dared  to  carry  out  the 
sentence,  so  word  was  sent  to  the  king,  who  asked  which 
of  his  warriors  would  undertake  the  business.  All 
shrank  back  but  one  man,  whom  I  knew  well,  and  who 
expressed  himself  as  willing  to  do  it.  The  supposed 
wizard  was  asked  to  meet  him  at  supper.  This  he  re- 
fused, so  he  went  to  the  man's  house,  and  stood  near  his 
door  till  he  could  shoot  at  him  and  wound  him.  The 
men  round  then  rushed  in,  and  speared  him  to  death  ! 

'•^February  2^1/1. — As  Penry  is  unable  to  get  men,  we 
have  asked  Edmonds  to  go  round  to  Unyanyembe  alone, 
and  let  us  cut  across  to  Uyui  direct. 

"  March  ^th. — Packed  up  and  started  with  Penry  for 
Uyui  at  10  a.m. 

'■'■  March  ']th. — I  had  a  sharp  attack  of  fever,  and  ought 
to  have  stopped  ;  but  onward  was  the  word,  and  this  I 
heartily  endorsed,  as,  when  in  fever,  I  was  generally 
better  on  the  road  ;  so,  sometimes  walking,  sometimes 
carried,  I  went  forward  till  about  three  o'clock,  when  I 
became  worse,  fainted,  and  seemed  to  be  dying.  How- 
ever, by  the  mercy  of  God,  I  rallied,  and  the  next  day 
we  resumed  our  journey. 

^'^  March  gth. — Off  before  daybreak,  and  was  carried  un- 
til one  o'clock,  when  I  was  taken  desperately  ill  in  the  des- 
ert, and  had  another  fainting  fit.  We  were  near  no  camp- 
ing-ground or  any  shelter.  At  four  o'clock  I  endeavored 
to  stand,  but  was  unable,  so  I  had  the  tent  pitched  close 
to  where  I  lay.  Then  I  begged  them  to  carry  me  to  it, 
about  ten  yards  off.  The  trouble  would  not  have  been 
great,  but  my  headman  refused,  and  two  of  them  led  me 
by  the  arms.     The  consequence  was  I  again  fainted. 


^t.  35.]  At  Death's  Door,  291 

^^  March  10th. — At  one  a.m.  woke,  very  ill.  Suffocating 
action  of  the  heart.  Took  stimulant,  but  for  an  hour  I 
appeared  to  be  sinking.  Scarcely  able  to  whisper,  I  sent 
for  Penry,  and  took  leave  of  him.  But  when  day  dawned 
I  revived  slightly,  and,  although  I  could  not  stand,  and 
scarcely  move  hand  or  foot,  I  allowed  myself  to  be  lifted 
into  the  hammock  and  be  carried  on.  The  air  refreshed 
me,  but  when  we  reached  Uyui,  at  about  nine  o'clock,  I 
was  again  apparently  in  a  dying  condition.  Blackburn, 
who  had  come  to  meet  me,  seeing  how  I  was,  ran  to  the 
house,  prepared  a  bed,  and  revived  me  with  strong 
stimulants.  Humanly  speaking,  I  owe  my  life  to  his 
assiduous  attention.  I  was  then  moved  into  the  school- 
room where  I  had  lain  so  long  on  the  way  up,  and  felt 
as  happy  as  possible,  though  utterly  prostrate.  All 
agreed  that  my  only  chance  of  recovery  was  that  the 
fever  should  not  recur.  Before  sunset,  however,  it  set 
in  heavily  with  delirium. 

^^  March  nth,  Sunday. — As  soon  as  the  fever  passed  my 
temperature  sank  very  low,  and  the  cold  sweat  of  death 
seemed  to  stand  on  my  brow.  I  asked  them  to  have 
the  Service  in  my  room,  and  none  of  us  thought  that  I 
should  see  another  Sunday.  In  the  afternoon  the  fever 
returned,  and  my  dear  boy,  Backit,  stayed  by  my  side 
for  twenty-four  hours,  while  I  was  delirious,  without 
leaving  to  eat  a  mouthful.  I  remained  in  this  critical 
state  for  five  days  ;  Blackburn  very  kind,  and  watching 
by  my  bedside.  At  times  I  could  not  help  smiling  at 
his  intense  desire  to  save  my  life — it  seemed  such  a 
hopeless  struggle. 

^^  March  \^th. — Called  two  of  my  boys,  got  up,  and, 
leaning  on  their  arms,  went  out  of  doors,  and,  to  the  ut- 
ter amazement  of  everybody,  walked  about  a  hundred 
yards.     On  the  17th  I  was  weighed — 8  stone  6  pounds. 


292  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

That  is  to  say,  I  had  lost  four  stone  since  leaving  Eng- 
land. 

"On  the  17th  we  made  preparation  for  departure.  I 
feel  that  I  must  proceed  for  life  or  death.  Either  will 
be  welcome,  though  I  confess  to  a  longing  to  live. 
Blackburn  insists  that  he  will  come  with  us  as  far  as 
Mpwapwa.  From  this  time,"  he  adds,  "  I  began  slowly 
to  mend." 

Writing  for  the  children  at  home,  Hannington  de- 
scribed his  experiences  of  life  in  a  hammock  in  a  serio- 
comic vein.     He  says  : 

"  It  sounds  very  luxurious  to  be  transported  from 
place  to  place  in  a  hammock.  Well,  all  I  can  say  is,  let 
those  who  think  they  would  like  it  try  it.  I  am  sure  I 
could  write  a  book  on  the  subject ;  I  have  had  such  an 
experience  of  the  excitements,  monotonies,  and  discom- 
forts of  the  hammock.  I  will  give  you  just  one  illustra- 
tion.    Sometimes  the  man  in  front  falls  down,  and  I  fall 


forward.  On  one  such  occasion  the  bearer  was,  by  some 
miraculous  means,  pinned  to  the  ground  by  the  hammock- 
pole  ;  nor  could  he  move  until  a  companion  released 
him.  Sometimes  the  man  behind  would  trip  up  ;  in 
which  case  I  fell  on  the  back  of  my  head.  At  another 
time  he  would  glide  on  to  his  knees,  and  let  me  down  in 
several  inches  of  black  mud.     Yet,  again,  both  bearers 


^t.  35.] 


Adventures  in  a  Hammock. 


293 


would    trip    simultaneously,   and  a  complete   downfall 
would  take  place. 


"  Then  boughs  would  whip  one  in  the  face  ;  or  the 
men  would  bang  one  against  sharp-pointed  stumps  of 


trees  ;  or  stepping  unequally,  jump  one  up  and  down 
like  a  pea  on  a  drum.  One  good  man  who  carried  me 
had  a  kind  of  spring-halt 
which  was  particularly  un- 
pleasant, especially  after  a 
meal.  As  for  being  lifted 
over  and  under  fallen  trees  ; 
being  handed  down  deep  ra- 
vines and  up  the  other  side, 
with  one's  feet  far  above  one's 
head ;  why,  that  happened  so 
often  that  I  grew  accustomed 
to  have  my  heels  high  in  the 
air." 

After  a  time  Hannington  discharged  his  Wanguana 
carriers,  and  hired  Wanyamwezi.     He  says,  "The  Wan- 


294 


James  Hamiington. 


(:a.d.  1883. 


guana  are  bad  travellers  in  regard  to  weight,  though 
good  in  respect  of  not  caring  about  the  shape  of  the 
load.  The>  have  learnt,  too,  the  white  man's  ways. 
They  know  that  he  must  have 
clean  camping-ground  and  good 
water.  They  are  very  handy 
f_^'  about  the  camp  and  tent.  Wan- 
yamwezi,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
very  stupid  about  camp,  but 
they  are  splendid  load  carriers, 
and,  as  travellers,  are  up  to  any- 
thing, so  long  as  you  do  not  ask 
them  to  venture  out  at  night." 

On  March  27th,  a  dispute  arose 
with  the  Wanyamwezi  porters 
which  might  have  turned  out 
very  awkwardly.  One  of  them  was  slightly  punished 
for  having  insulted  Mr.  Blackburn,  whereupon  his  com- 
panions threatened  to  desert  in  a  body  unless  he  were 
compensated  by  a  present  of  cloth.  This  would  have 
left  the  white  men  helpless  in  the  midst  of  a  pori  (desert). 
Matters  looked  serious,  as  the  men  would  not  give  way, 
and  their  masters  could  not  overlook  the  breach  of  dis- 
cipline. They  met  together  in  Hannington's  tent,  and 
laid  the  matter  before  the  Lord.  Prayer  was  scarcely 
finished,  when  they  heard  the  headman  of  the  Wanyam- 
wezi making  a  speech,  followed  by  a  sign  of  assent  from 
the  multitude,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  to  them  to  say 
that  the  Wanyamwezi  acknowledged  themselves  to  be  in 
the  wrong,  and  that  the  white  men  were  right.  So  they 
praised  God,  and  continued  on  their  way. 

On  April  the  19th,  after  the  usual  trials  with  porters, 
and  discomforts  attendant  upon  travelling  in  the  rainy 
season,  they  reached  Kisokwe,  where  a  hearty  welcome 


^t,  35.]  The  Baby  at  the  Coles    House. 


295 


awaited  them  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole.  Hannington 
writes:  "  When  we  approached  Kisokwe  (near  Mpwapwa), 
I  saw  that,  even  since  my  last  visit,  the  population  had 
considerably  increased,  and  that  fresh  tembes  had  been 
built.  Indeed,  it  is  not  necessary  that  a  white  man 
should  fix  himself  in  an  unhealthy  situation  merely  be- 
cause it  has  a  large  population.  Let  him  choose  a 
healthy  and  convenient  site,  and  the  people  will  soon 
swarm  around  him.  This,  of  course,  does  not  apply  to 
towns  like  Rubaga,  and  those  on  the  west  coast,  but  to 
intermediate  stations  and  districts.     On  the  v/ay  I  was 


greatly  upset  to  hear  of  Mrs.  Last's  death.  This  is,  in- 
deed, sad  for  poor  Last.  They  were  so  happy  and  com- 
fortable at  Memboia,  and  seemed  likely  to  do  a  great 
work.*  On  arriving  at  the  Coles's  house  I  was  greatly 
affected  at  the  sight  of  the  baby.  The  thought  of  my 
own  sweet  children  filled  my  heart,  and  the  slight  hope 
I  have  had,  and  still  have  of  ever  seeing  them  again  all 
came  before  me  so  vividly  that  I  must  confess  to  crying 
like  a  child.  I  rushed  at  the  baby,  and  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  hold  and  kiss  it.  Ah  !  what  changes  are 
wrought  in  one  out  here  in  the  wilderness.  I  am  not 
one  bit  ashamed  to  own  this,  though,  but  a  short  time 


*  Not  long  after  this,  Mrs.  Cole  also  died. 


296  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883, 

ago,  I  should  have  looked  upon  it  as  the  most  intense 
weakness." 

"  Penry  seems  very  sleepy  and  strange  to-day.  We  all 
think  that  he  has  taken  too  large  a  dose  of  opium  to 
ward  off  the  dysentery  from  which  he  is  suffering.  He 
has  slept  nearly  all  the  day  and  eats  nothing."  Mr. 
Penry  had  been  for  some  time  in  a  very  weak  state,  but 
had  given  his  friends  no  serious  alarm.  He,  however, 
had  not  Hannington's  recuperative  powers,  and  at  Kis- 
okwe  quite  suddenly  sank  and  died.  The  following 
entry  describes  the  end  : 

"At  about  one  p.m.  we  were  summoned  to  his  bedside, 
and  he  seemed  to  be  dying.  I  treated  him  as  I  had  had 
myself  treated  over  and  over  again,  and  toward  day- 
break he  seemed  better.  However,  he  grew  weaker 
during  the  day,  and  on  the  day  following  he  quietly  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus.  We  made  the  coffin,  and  with  our  own 
hands  lifted  him  gently  into  it,  and  buried  him  that 
same  night  by  the  grave  of  Dr.  Mullens,  at  Mpwapwa." 

The  above  extract  from  the  diary  must  be  sufficient, 
as  we  cannot  here  repeat  all  that  he  writes  of  the  ter- 
rible and  repulsive  details  of  a  death  by  dysentery. 
"  Monsr.*  and  I  performed  the  last  offices,  and  very  ter- 
rible they  were.  Monsr.,  who  had  worked  many  years 
in  a  hospital,  was  at  the  time  even  more  upset  than  I 
was." 

This  death  was  a  great  shock  to  Hannington  ;  he 
says  :  *'  Shall  I,  who  have  been  always  looked  upon  as 
the  worse  of  the  two — and  especially  by  Penry  himself 
— be  the  next  prey  that  death  will  seize?" 

Sunday,  the  2 2d,  was  spent  quietly  at  Kisokwe  with 


*  One  of  the  Jesuit  band  who  accompanied  the  caravan  to  the 
coast. 


^t.  35.]  Missionary   Work  at  Kisokwe.  297 

the  Coles.  "These  kind  people  having  insisted  that  I 
should  stay  with  them,  I  have  to-day  had  an  opportuni- 
ty of  witnessing  their  Sunday  work,  though,  with  them, 
every  day  is  a  Sunday,  and  spent  in  Missionary  endeav- 
or. To-day  there  was  a  Service  at  about  11  for  natives. 
The  church  was  well  filled  by  Wagogo  and  Wanguana, 
and  the  Service  was  accordingly  divided  into  parts,  and 
made  to  suit  both  sections.  Short  addresses  and  cate- 
chisms were  given  in  both  tongues.  They  joined  in  the 
hymns  very  fairly,  and  are  fond  of  singing,  but  the 
Africans  here  have  not  good  voices  ;  they  can  chant 
monotonously,  but  I  have  not  heard  one  really  good 
voice  among  them,  even  among  the  boys  in  Zanzibar 
Cathedral.  At  3  p.m.  there  was  another  Service  in  the 
vernacular,  and  an  even  better  attendance.  I  tell  Cole 
that  he  will  soon  have  to  build  a  new  church."  (Mrs. 
Cole's  remarkable  Sunday-school  Class  has  already  been 
described  00  page  225.)  "  The  Mpwapwa  work  is  very 
similar  to  this,  and  is  being  energetically  carried  on  by 
Mr.  Price.  He  and  Blackburn  walked  over  to  Kisokwe, 
and  I  administered  the  Holy  Communion  to  the  little 
gathering,  and  a  very  solemn  and  devoted  time  we  had 
together." 

"  2-^rd. — As  some  of  Penry's  things  have  to  be  disposed 
of  here,  in  accordance  with  his  instructions,  I  have  an- 
other day  in  this  pleasant  spot  with  these  agreeable  peo- 
ple, and  my  friend  the  baby,  who  is  a  wonder  for  size, 
and  is  healthy  and  strong,  and  very  good  tempered. 
The  natives  delight  in  him,  and  call  him  a  Mgogo,  one  of 
themselves,  born  in  their  country,  and  so  quite  different 
to  other  Wazungu  (white  men)  who  were  born  in  Ulia 
(Europe).  The  day  passed  only  too  quickly,  and,  in 
spite  of  a  good  deal  of  pain — for  I  have  been  poisoned 
by  the  terrible  stench  in  attending  upon  the  dying  man, 
13* 


298  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1S83. 

and  have  a  slight  attack  of  dysentery — I  enjoyed  myself 
greatly,  spending  a  portion  of  the  day  in  pursuit  of  my 
favorite  study  of  botany.  I  ascended  one  of  the  sur- 
rounding hills  for  a  short  distance.  The  panorama  is 
magnificent.  The  distant  hills  of  U-Sagara  are  visible, 
range  after  range  rising  in  the  far  distance,  and  gradual- 
ly fading  in  coloring  until  they  are  quite  blended  with 
the  clouds." 

The  next  morning  they  were  off  again,  and,  after  a 
night  at  Mpwapwa,  took  the  path  for  the  coast.  Han- 
nington says  :  "  I  find  an  immense  advantage  in  having 
everything  placed  in  exactly  the  same  spot  every  time 
that  the  tent  is  pitched,  and  insisting  upon  it.  After  a 
little  trouble  at  first,  the  boys  soon  learn  to  know  what 
you  want,  and  do  it  without  being  told,  so  that  when  you 
step  into  your  tent  at  the  end  of  a  march,  though  all  is 
fresh  outside,  yet  within  it  looks  as  though  the  tent  had 
not  been  moved  ;  and  what  is  more,  you  know  where  to 
find  everything  even  in  the  dark." 

^'■April  2i^tJi. — One  of  the  up-country  mails  passed  us, 
and  say  that  our  letters  are  a  day  or  two  behind  them, 
so  it  will  not  be  long  before  we  get  more  news  of  dear 
home.     How  I  delight  in  the  thought ! 

"  2(>th. — Onwards,  ever  onwards  ;  pori  and  plain  to 
pass.  Beautiful  weather  and  good  -  tempered  men, 
though  always  inclined  to  be  troublesome.  Camped 
5,000  feet  above  sea  level.  Air  so  cold  that  I  quite 
shivered. 

"27//;. — Mamboia.  Keen  disappointment.  Last  gone 
away  for  six  days.  Our  messengers  had  loitered,  and 
did  not  arrive  till  too  late.     So  no  welcome  and  no  rest." 

On  the  29th,  Mr.  Last,  who  had  heard  of  the  visit, 
caught  up  Hannington's  party,  and   accompanied  him 


■^t-  35-]  Travelling  i?t  Mud  and  Water.  299 

on  his  journey  for  a  day  or  two.  In  the  keen  and  brac- 
ing air  of  the  mountains  near  Kwa  Chiropa,  Hannington 
recovered  his  strength  rapidly,  and  he  ascended  to  some 
height  with  Mr.  Last,  making  botanical  collections. 
"  On  our  way  down  we  saw  an  abandoned  village,  the 
inhabitants  of  which  had  all  died  of  small-pox.  The 
havoc  which  this  disease  makes  is  terrible.  It  is  com- 
puted that  during  the  epidemic  in  Zanzibar,  which 
lasted  about  four  months,  30,000  deaths  occurred. 
When  we  returned,  we  found  that  one  of  Mr.  Last's 
men  had  run  away,  taking  with  him  his  gun,  sextant, 
and  prismatic  compass  !  " 

*'  28//;. — Took  leave  of  Last.  For  an  hour  or  so  we 
waded  through  the  most  horrible  black  mud,  knee-deep, 
and  smelling  beyond  description,  densely  overhung  with 
grass  and  reeds  to  the  height  of  10  to  20  feet.  So,  more 
or  less,  all  day  till  we  reached  camp. 

"  Soon  after  arriving,  a  message  came  from  Dr.  Baxter 
that  he  had  heard  that  Penry  and  I  were  very  ill,  and 
that  he  was  returning  to  meet  us.  Happily  I  now  re- 
quire no  doctoring,  and  Penry  has  gone,  but  I  cannot 
imagine  a  nobler  act  than  that  a  man  should  return 
from  the  coast  at  this  season  of  the  year,  with  heavy 
rain  still  threatening.  The  moment  we  stepped  out  of 
the  village  on  May  3d  we  were  in  black  mud  and  water 
knee-deep,  and  this  continued  till  we  reached  a  branch 
of  the  River  Wami.  The  same  fearful  swamp  till  the 
next  river,  and  so  on.  One  river  was  crossed  by  a  loose 
bridge  of  creepers  and  poles  partly  knee-deep  in  water. 
Here  we  had  more  difficulty  than  anywhere.  It  was  not 
until  I  drove  away  the  men  and  made  them  swim  for  it 
that  we  were  able  to  get  at  all  into  order.  I  then  posted 
men  all  across  the  bridge,  and  had  the  loads  handed 
from  one  to  the  other;  and  thus,  as  a  load,  was  I  handed 


300  James  Hannington.  [A.D,  1883. 

across  myself.  Two  hours  were  occupied  in  getting 
over  about  80  loads.  Then  deep  mud  for  the  rest  of 
the  journey  ;  and  then  Kidudwa  and  the  cheering  sight 
of  the  good  doctor.  It  was  in  one  way  a  great  satisfac- 
tion to  me  to  hear  the  doctor  say,  after  he  had  gone  into 
my  case,  that  I  had  done  right  to  return,  and  that  I 
could  not  have  done  anything  else.  For  the  last  day  or 
two  I  have  recovered  so  fast  that  I  have  had  serious 
questionings  with  myself  whether  I  should  not  now  re- 
turn to  the  lake.  This  Dr.  Baxter  entirely  forbids.  He 
says  that  I  should  be  mad  were  I  to  think  of  returning." 

The  next  day,  in  crossing  a  river,  they  got  separated 
from  their  men  and  then  from  each  other,  and  finally 
did  not  reunite  their  forces  until  after  a  long  and  tedious 
time.  "  Did  not  get  into  camp  until  night.  No  cooked 
food  all  day.  I  was  utterly  done  up,  and,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  very  tart  with  everybody.  Blackburn,  however, 
quite  won  my  heart;  for,  seeing  how  matters  stood,  and 
how  knocked  up  I  was,  he  did  all  he  could  to  make  me 
comfortable,  without  appearing  to  notice  how  irritable 
I  was.  We  are  travelling  too  fast  for  a  sick  man,  but 
it  is  entirely  my  own  doing,  as  I  am  very  anxious  to 
catch  the  Sultan's  steamer." 

"  MaySt/i. — Our  last  Sunday  on  the  main  land;  perhaps 
in  Africa.  This  day  week  I  hope  to  be  at  sea  !  As  this 
was  the  first  place  at  which  we  have  stopped  where  the 
coast  language  is  spoken  or  understood.  Dr.  Baxter  held 
a  Kiswahili  Service  in  the  open  air.  Quite  a  crowd  of  peo- 
ple gathered  round,  and  listened  to  what  he  had  to  say. 

"May  2>th. — Arrived  at  Saadani  at  about  10  a.m. 

"  May  gth. — Called  at  2  a.m.  to  the  boat.  As  usual, 
everything  in  confusion  and  excitement.  The  Wanyam- 
wezi  who  were  travelling  with  us  had  taken  possession 


^t.  35.]  Homeward  Bound.  301 

of  the  second  boat,  and  our  men  were  stuffing  themselves 
into  our  boat,  and  were  quarrelling  and  shouting  for 
places  in  a  dreadful  manner.  We  were  able,  after  a  time, 
to  hire  another  boat.  Let  me  warn  travellers  against 
allowing  another  party  of  natives  to  attach  itself  to  their 
caravan.  I  held  out  against  it  from  the  very  first.  How- 
ever, all's  well  that  ends  well.  We  started  at  about  4 
A.M.,  and  had  a  speedy  run  across  to  Zanzibar,  arriving 
at  about  10  o'clock.  A  good  bit  of  trouble  at  the  Cus- 
tom-house, chiefly  through  those  horrid  Wanyamwezi, 
who  tried  to  smuggle  their  own  goods  through,  on  pre- 
tence that  they  were  ours.  Went  to  the  French  Hotel. 
Heard  that  the  steamer  starts  on  Saturda)^,  at  about  12 
noon.  This  is  good  news,  as  far  as  getting  away  from 
Zanzibar  is  concerned,  but  it  gives  us  very  little  time. 

"11///. — Yesterday  and  to-day  I  have  been  hard  at 
work  getting  my  things  packed,  and  making  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  the  start.  I  have  been  exceeding- 
ly well.  Called  at  the  Universities'  Mission,  and  some 
of  them  called  upon  me;  but  I  have  very  little  to  enter  in 
my  diary,  as  the  details  of  packing  are  not  interesting. 

"12///. — I  concluded  all  my  own  arrangements,  and 
was  ready  at  12.45  '■>  but  where  was ?  He  had  over- 
slept himself,  and  then  forgotten  the  time,  and  was  not 
ready.  I  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting  him  off, 
and  in  the  end  the  steamer  started  without  him,  when 
an  umbrella  was  seen  waving  in  the  distance,  and  they 
stopped  and  took  him  in  ;  however,  he  had  to  leave  the 
greater  part  of  his  luggage  behind.  All  I  say  about  it 
is  to  ask.  How  men  can  systematically  do  such  things, 
and  get  through  the  world  at  all  ?  One  result  was,  that 
the  cabins  which  had  been  chosen  for  us  had  been  given 
to  other  people,  and  we  were  obliged  to  share  one  be- 
tween us." 


302  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

So  the  long  and  perilous  journey  was  at  length  com- 
pleted. The  sick  man  whose  life  had  been  so  often  de- 
spaired of  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  homeward-bound 
steamer,  and  felt  that  every  revolution  of  the  screw  was 
bearing  him  nearer  to  those  friendly  faces  and  voices 
which  he  had  thought  never  again  to  see  or  hear. 

Already  the  project  was  forming  within  his  heart  to 
revisit  the  dark  land  from  which  he  had  been  compelled 
to  flee.  He  would  not  be  content  now  until  he  had  re- 
trieved his  defeat,  and  planted  the  banner  of  Christ  in 
the  centre  of  the  Great  Continent.  He  had  seen  that 
the  most  savage  and  degraded  people  were  amenable 
to  Christian  influence,  and  he  meant,  at  no  distant  time, 
God  helping  him,  to  make  another  attempt  to  carry  the 
Gospel  to  them.  He  wrote,  after  his  arrival  in  England: 
"  I  am  thankful  for  experience  gained,  and  that  I  have 
lived  to  plead  a  cause  which  is  nearer  than  ever  to  my 
heart;  for  I  have  seen  the  need  of  the  Africans,  and  have 
realized  the  sufferings  of  their  spiritual  teachers.  As 
for  the  former,  though  they  are  ofttimes  '  hateful  and 
hating,'  yet  there  is  much  in  them  both  to  admire  and 
to  love.  Even  men  who,  like  Romwa,  or  'the  old  man 
of  the  sea,'  lied,  cheated,  and  extorted  to  the  utmost  of 
their  power,  touched  a  tender  spot  in  our  hearts.  With 
all  their  depravity  and  darkness,  I  fully  indorse  Living- 
stone's words,  that  there  are  excellent  traits  in  their 
character  ;  that  they  compare  favorably  with  the  early 
history  of  now  civilized  nations,  and  are  capable  of  a  high 
degree  of  culture." 

He  adds  :  "  Forgive  the  one  that  turned  back."  But 
though  that  "turning  back"  was  only  a  retreat  before 
overwhelming  necessity,  he  could  never  forgive  himself 
until  his  foot  was  once  more  planted  upon  African  soil. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    SECOND    MISSIONARY    JOURNEY. 
(1883—4.) 

"  O  bona  Patria,  lumina  sobria  te  speculantur : 
Ad  tua  nomina,  sobria  lumina  coUacrymantur : 
Est  tua  mentio  pectoris  unctio,  cura  doloris, 
Concipientibus  cethera  mentibus  ignis  amoris." 

Bernard  de  Morlaix. 

"  For  thee,  O  dear,  dear  Country ! 
Mine  eyes  their  vigils  keep  ; 
For  very  love  beholding 

Thy  happy  name,  they  weep : 
The  mention  of  thy  glory 

Is  unction  to  the  breast. 
And  medicine  in  sickness. 
And  love  and  life  and  rest." 

Trans,  by  Dr.  Neale. 

On  June  10,  1883,  Hannington  was  again  among  his 
friends  in  England.  They  had  anxiously  followed  his 
course  homeward  during  his  terrible  journey  from  the 
Lake,  and  the  infrequent  letters  which  he  had  written 
when  he  was  able  to  hold  the  pen  had  all  been  treasured 
up.  He  was  received  as  one  alive  from  the  dead.  Both 
in  the  Committee  Room  of  the  C.  M.  S.,  in  Salisbury 
Square,  and  from  his  people  at  Hurst,  he  met  w^ith  the 
warmest  welcome.  What  passed  between  the  husband 
and  wife  thus  given  back  to  each  other  may  be  better 
surmised  than  described.  Once  more  the  "  little  dear 
face  "  of  his  own  baby  was  taken  between  his  hands  and 
kissed  ;  and  the  other  little  ones  whom,  three  months 

(303) 


304  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1883. 

before,  he  thought  he  "  would  never  see  again,"  were 
gathered  up  into  his  arms.  He  settled  down  to  his  work 
at  Hurst  as  though  he  had  never  left  it,  and  his  young 
men  once  again  rallied  round  him. 

But  with  returning  health  the  desire  to  assail  once 
more  the  fortress  from  which  he  had  been  driven  back 
came  strongly  upon  him.  He  never  for  a  moment  lost 
the  idea  that  he  was  to  renew  his  labors  in  Africa.  He 
was  saturated  through  and  through  with  the  Missionary 
spirit,  and  he  counted  the  days  when  he  should  have 
sufficiently  recovered  his  wasted  strength  to  again  face 
the  Medical  Board,  and  retrieve  his  first  repulse.  In  the 
meantime,  since  he  could  not  persuade  anybody  that  he 
was  well  enough  for  work  in  the  tropics,  he  placed  him- 
self at  the  disposal  of  the  C.  M.  S.  Committee  for  depu- 
tation work  at  home.  During  the  next  twelve  months 
he  both  preached  and  spoke  upon  platforms  many  times 
in  behalf  of  the  Society.  His  graphic  descriptions  of 
the  life  and  labors  of  an  African  Missionary,  and  his 
earnest  appeals  in  behalf  of  the  Mission  cause,  will  be 
long  remembered  in  many  an  English  town  and  village. 
The  "C.  M.  S.  Report"  for  1884  thus  alludes  to  him: 
"  The  health  mercifully  given  back  to  him  by  the  Great 
Healer  has  been  employed  without  stint  in  service  at 
home,  as  the  Society's  friends  all  over  the  country  well 
know  ;  and  the  Committee  trust  that  the  desire  of  their 
dear  brother's  heart  may  be  granted  to  him,  and  that  he 
may  be  enabled  to  go  forth  again  into  the  field."  So 
runs  the  Report ;  and  well  did  the  Secretaries  know  the 
"  desire  of  his  heart,"  for  there  was  no  available  occasion 
when  he  did  not  present  himself  at  the  "  House,"  to  see 
whether  the  doctors  might  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  take 
a  more  favorable  view  of  his  state.  On  Oct.  8,  1883, 
he  writes  to  his  wife  : 


JEt.  36.]  A   Characteristic  Letter.  305 

"  I  saw  the  Board  to-day,  and  the  verdict  was  '  Africa 
NEVER.'  And  so  I  say,  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done. 
Any  question  about  other  climates  and  countries  must 
be  left  for  the  present.  I  am  very  melancholy  about 
Africa.     But  I  ought  not  to  be." 

His  state  of  mind  may  be  somewhat  realized  from  the 
following  intensely  characteristic  letter,  dated  Dec.  5th  : 

"  My  Dear, — 

"  Hallelujah,  Amen. 
Hallelujah,  Amen. 
Hallelujah,  Amen. 
Hallelujah  !  !  ! 

HALLELUJAH  ! 
And  again  I  cry,  Hallelujah  ! 

"  And  now  quietly  to  begin  my  tale. 

"What  a  wonderful  thing  !  I  was  feeling  so  fagged 
on  Monday  that  I  thought  I  would  not  go  up  to  town 
until  Tuesday,  and  almost  made  up  my  mind  not  to 
start,  but  was  overruled.  On  arriving  at  the  Square,  I 
found  that  there  was  a  Medical  Board  sitting,  and  asked 
how  many  were  to  be  seen.     I  was  told.  Only  one.     So 

I  said  to  B ,  more  than  half  in  fun,  I  wish  you  would 

ask  them  to  see  me.  I  scarcely  thought  he  would  say 
anything  about  it,  but  lo  !  he  went  and  put  my  name 
down  to  be  interviewed.  I  was  quite  frightened  when 
he  told  me,  as  I  thought  they  would  be  in  an  awful 
rage,  as  I  had  been  told  not  to  come  up  before  April. 

"  I  went  in,  and,  after  a  long  interview,  the  verdict  was, 
'  It  fay  go  anytvhere  except  Africa  and  Ceylon.^ 

"Hallelujah,  Hallelujah,  Hallelujah  !  !  ! 

"  But  this  was  not  all  (drowning  men  catch  at  a  straw). 
At  first  I  was  not  encouraged  by  it ;  but  I  presently 
learnt  that  Mr.  Wigram  had  slipped  into  the  Committee, 


3o6  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1884, 

and  told  the  news  to  Mr.  Stock.  I  took  that  to  be  a 
good  sign.  But  when,  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Wigram 
shook  hands  with  me  and  said,  '  I  am  so  thankful  to  hear 
the  verdict,'  I  was  not  able  to  speak  much,  but  my  heart 
said  Hallelujah,  Amen  ;  and  I  am  quite  certain  that  you 
v/ill  be  able  to  join  in  the  cry.  Of  course,  nothing  is 
settled.  I  am  to  see  the  Board  again  in  April,  so  that 
really  we  are  only  one  step  further  advanced  ;  but  there 
are  signs  enough  to  make  any  Missionary  heart  rejoice. 
Once  more  judged  worthy  to  anticipate. 

"  Fly  in  and  tell  my  brother  to  rejoice  together  with 
us." 

Such  a  letter  was  the  safety-valve  of  a  bursting  heart. 
It  reveals  in  a  wonderful  manner  the  intensity  of  the  fires 
which  were  burning  within  him.  At  this  time  he  had  no 
thought  of  the  Bishopric.  It  had  not  occurred  to  his 
mind  that  he  might  be  sent  out  again  in  any  other  ca- 
pacity than  that  in  which  he  had  sailed  eighteen  months 
before.  Those  who  knew  him  best  can  testify  that  at  this 
time  it  was  impossible  that  ambition  should  have  had  any 
part  in  lighting  those  flames  by  which  he  was  inward- 
ly consumed.  His  friends  thought  that  he  had  done 
enough  ;  but  it  was  borne  in  upon  his  mind  with  ever- 
increasing  insistency  that  a  dispensation  of  the  Gospel 
had  been  committed  to  him,  and  that  he  must  return 
to  the  Mission-field  ;  his  heart  made  request  that  it 
might  be  to  Africa  ;  but,  if  that  were  forbidden,  then — 
somewhere  else. 

"  He  saw  a  Hand  they  could  not  see 
Which  beckoned  him  away  ; 
He  heard  a  Voice  they  could  not  hear 
Which  would  not  let  him  stay." 

When  health  had  fully  returned,  and  the   Bishopric 


^t.  36.]  Vtst't  to  Edinburgh.  307 

was  offered  to  him,  he  took  it  as  a  sign  from  God  that 
he  had  a  work  to  do  for  Christ  in  Africa.  About  ac- 
cepting the  Bishopric  he  had  his  doubts  and  fears  ;  about 
returning  to  Africa,  none.  When  I  wrote  to  congratu- 
late him  and  wish  him  God-speed,  he  replied  :  "  I  feel 
that  I  could  no  more  say  No  than  did  Gordon  when  he 
went  to  Khartoum." 

When  Hannington  visited  Edinburgh  in  January,  1884, 
we  noticed  a  great  change  in  him.  His  old  exuberance 
of  spirits  was  gone.  We  were  almost  inclined  to  say  to 
him,  "  Is  all  laughter  gone  dead  out  of  thee  ? "  It  was 
evident  that  he  had  passed  through  a  heavy  strain, 
which  had  taxed  his  constitution  to  the  utmost.  By 
and  by  flashes  of  the  old  wit  somewhat  reassured  us  ; 
but  it  was  plain  that  the  rough  chastening  of  those  ter- 
rible months  of  sickness  in  Africa  would  leave  scourge 
marks  not  readily  to  be  healed  or  forgotten.  At  the 
same  time,  that  *'  chastisement "  had  not  been  without 
its  distinct  benefit.  He  was  in  every  way  softened  and 
mellowed.  While  his  sense  of  the  humorous  was  as 
keen  as  ever,  his  consideration  for  the  feelings  of  others 
was  much  greater  than  formerly.  He  was  gentler  and 
more  tender,  quieter,  and  more  outwardly  affectionate 
in  his  manner  than  of  yore.  The  current  of  his  life 
seemed  to  run  more  stilly  and  more  deep. 

Just  now  and  again  the  old  "Jim  "would  leap  into 
life  and  almost  make  me  forget  that  we  were  not  still 
undergraduates  together.  As,  when  we  were  spending 
the  two  hours  which  intervened  between  the  morning 
and  afternoon  Services  in  the  vestry,  he  suddenly  de- 
clared that  his  legs  were  so  stiff  with  sitting  still  that  he 
was  sure  he  should  not  be  able  to  ascend  the  pulpit 
steps,  and  so,  placing  two  chairs  close  to  each  other,  he 
leapt  backwards  and  forwards    over  them  till  he  was 


308  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1884. 

tired  with  the  exercise  and  I  with  laughing.  What  a 
sight — had  some  "grave  and  reverend  signer,"  some 
austere  father  of  the  Church,  looked  in  at  that  moment ! 
Ah  me,  would  he  not  have  concluded  that  the  "  depu- 
tation" who  had  so  edified  him  in  the  morning  had  sud- 
denly gone  mad  ?     But  we  knew  better. 

He  remained  with  us  rather  more  than  a  week.  We 
found  his  society  very  helpful.  His  attitude  of  mind 
was  deeply  spiritual,  and  there  was  nothing  which  he 
loved  more  than  to  talk  over  some  passage  from  Scrip- 
ture, often  throwing  the  most  vivid  light  upon  its  inner 
meaning. 

He  was  very  full  of  his  African  work,  and  all  the  time 
he  was  with  us  was  busy  preparing  those  sketches  of 
his  adventures,  many  of  which  appeared  in  the  Graphic 
and  other  illustrated  papers,  and  a  few  of  which  have 
been  reproduced  in  this  work.  Seated  in  a  low  chair  in 
a  corner  of  the  study,  with  a  box  of  V\^ater-colors  and  a 
sheet  of  drawing-paper,  he  would  fight  his  battles  over 
again,  and  narrate  every  incident  with  the  keenest  zest. 
I  had  the  great  advantage  of  hearing  from  his  own  lips 
most  of  those  exploits  which  have  been  chronicled  in 
these  pages.  He  was  full  of  hope  after  his  last  inter- 
view with  the  Medical  Board,  and  was  looking  forward 
eagerly  to  the  time  when  he  should  be  again  examined; 
for  he  firmly  believed  that  he  would  in  the  end  be  per- 
mitted to  return  to  the  Dark  Continent. 

There  was  one  change  in  him  which,  at  the  time,  I 
failed  to  understand,  but  the  cause  of  which  has  since 
been  made  clear  to  me.  In  former  days  Hannington 
had  been  the  most  generous  of  men.  He  did  not  seem 
to  consider  money,  but  rather  rejoiced  in  spending  it 
upon  any  object  which  took  his  fancy.  Now,  though  he 
did  not  specially  allude    to   the   subject,    I    could    not 


^t.  36.]  A  Bishop  for  Central  Africa.  309 

help  seeing  that  he  was  careful  in  his  expenditure,  and 
weighed  the  cost  of  everything.  I  should  not  perhaps 
have  noticed  this,  had  I  not  been  so  familiar  with  his 
character;  but,  knowing  his  former  habits,  and  that  his 
income  was  not  diminished,  it  did  occur  to  me  once  or 
twice  to  ask  myself  whether  this  new  phase  implied  that 
my  friend  was  becoming  "  near."  It  was  not  until  after 
his  death  that  this  was  explained,  and  I  discovered  that 
he  had  been  giving  a  fifth  of  his  strictly  limited  in- 
come to  07ie  society  alone,  irrespective  of  his  other  chari- 
ties. O  thou  noble  soul;  thy  gifts  did  not  stop  short  of 
self-sacrifice,  nor  didst  thou  offer  to  the  Lord  what  cost 
thee  nothing  ! 

Shortly  after  this  the  Committee  of  the  C.  M.  S.  began 
to  reconsider  a  scheme  which  had  been  first  mooted  in 
the  lifetime  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Wright,  that  the  Mission 
Churches  of  Eastern  Equatorial  Africa  should  be  placed 
under  the  supervision  of  a  Bishop.  The  Universities' 
Mission,  over  which  Bishops  Mackenzie,  Steere,  and 
Smythies  have  been  successively  placed,  has  its  own 
sphere  of  work,  but  does  not  extend  so  far  into  the  in- 
terior as  the  stations  of  the  C.  M.  S.,  which  had  been 
hitherto  without  episcopal  supervision.  Mr.  Wright  had 
corresponded  with  Bishop  Steere  as  early  as  1880  on  the 
subject  of  a  division  of  territory,  and  the  formation  of 
a  new  See,  and  had  received  assurances  of  his  cordial 
sympathy  and  co-operation.  No  further  steps,  however, 
were  taken  until  the  scheme  was  revived  in  this  year 
1884.  It  was  now  felt  that  the  increasing  number  of 
stations  in  Central  Africa  demanded  supervision.  That 
the  Mission  having  been  placed  upon  a  sound  basis, 
what  is  now  required  was  that  the  widely-scattered 
Churches  should  be  bound  together  by  the  personal  in- 
fluence of  one  who  would  have  authority  to  command, 


3IO  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1884. 

wisdom  to  organize,  and  character  to  ensure  that  his 
commands  should  be  obeyed.  The  Committee,  there- 
fore, began  to  seek  for  some  man  who  united  in  himself, 
with  unfeigned  Missionary  ardor,  a  somewhat  rare  com- 
bination of  gifts. 

The  post  demanded  a  man  of  dauntless  personal  cour- 
age, tact,  spirituality  of  mind,  and  prompt,  business- 
like habits — a  man  who  coupled  gentleness  with  a  strong 
personality.  Hannington  had  proved  that  he  combined 
these  opposite  characteristics  in  himself  to  a  very  re- 
markable extent.  The  eyes  of  the  Committee  naturally 
turned  to  him.  His  health  had  so  rapidly  improved 
during  the  past  six  months  that  Sir  Joseph  Fayrer,  the 
climatologist,  gave  it  as  his  unqualified  opinion  that  he 
might  now  return  to  Africa  with  a  good  prospect  of 
being  able  to  live  and  labor  there  for  many  years.  This 
being  so,  the  matter  was  laid  before  him,  and  he,  after 
much  searching  of  heart,  but  with  deep  gratitude  to 
God  as  for  the  answer  to  his  constant  prayer,  accepted 
the  responsibility.  The  consent  of  the  Archbishop  had 
been  already  obtained,  and  the  consecration  took  place 
on  St.  John  the  Baptist's  Day,  June  24th,  in  the  Parish 
Church  of  Lambeth. 

On  that  day  two  Missionary  Bishops  were  consecrated 
for  foreign  work,  the  other  being  the  Hon.  and  Rev. 
A.  J.  R.  Anson,  who  was  appointed  to  the  diocese  of 
Assiniboia. 

Shortly  before  eleven  o'clock,  the  two  Bishops-Desig- 
nate met  the  Archbishop,  together  with  the  Bishops  of 
London,  St.  Albans,  Rochester,  Lichfield,  Dover,  Ohio, 
and  Saskatchewan,  in  the  library  of  Lambeth  Palace. 
Thence  they  proceeded  to  the  Church.  As  the  proces- 
sion entered  the  sacred  building,  the  choir  chanted  the 
Magnus  Dominus,  Psalm  xlviii.,  the  concluding  words  of 


Mt.  36.]  His  Consecration  as  Bishop.  311 

which  came  to  the  two  new  Bishops  as  a  message  from 
heaven — to  Hannington  almost  as  an  omen — "  This  God 
is  our  God  for  ever  and  ever  ;  He  shall  be  our  Guide 
unto  death." 

In  due  course  the  two  Bishops-Designate  are  kneeling 
before  the  Archbishop,  and  the  Veni  Creator  is  sung  : 

"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire. 
And  lighten  with  celestial  fire." 

And  when  they  rise  it  is  with  the  injunction  that  they 
so  care  for  the  flock  entrusted  to  them,  that  when  the 
Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  they  may  receive  the  never- 
fading  crown  of  glory,  through  Jesus  Christ  their  Lord. 
It  was  under  the  influence  of  no  shallow  self-confi- 
dence that  Hannington  undertook  this  great  responsi- 
bility. He  was  fully  aware  of  the  special  difficulties  of 
the  charge  committed  to  him.  He  knew  that  not  merely 
energy  and  courage,  but  tact,  wisdom,  and  patient  en- 
durance, not  only  of  toil,  but,  what  is  far  harder  to 
bear,  of  contradiction,  would  be  required  of  him.  He 
was  about  to  shepherd  no  ideal  flock  in  some  pastoral 
Arcadia  where  he  might  decorate  his  crook  with  ribands, 
and  pipe  strains  of  gentle  music,  surrounded  by  happy 
shepherds  and  shepherdesses.  He  knew  that  in  the 
fierce  tropic  climate  of  that  fell  land  in  which  his  work 
was  to  be  done,  not  only  the  wild  flock,  but  the  under- 
shepherds  themselves  would  need  more  than  ordinary 
skill  to  guide  them  aright;  and  that  his  crook  must  be 
held  with  a  hand  both  gentle  and  strong.  By  no  one 
need  the  suaviter  in  modo,  fortiter  in  re — the  art  of  con- 
cealing the  hand  of  steel  in  the  velvet  glove — be  more 
diligently  practiced  than  by  an  African  Missionary 
Bishop.*     It  was   with  the  full  consciousness  that  his 

*  "  He  was  beloved  by  evei7  Ivlissionary.     There  never  was  a 


312  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1884. 

path  would  not  be  strewn  with  roses  that  Hannington 
accepted  the  Bishopric;  but  he  was  ready  to  "endure 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  was, 
moreover,  strong  in  the  confidence  that  the  Lord  would 
"  deliver  him  from  every  evil  work,  and  would  preserve 
him  unto  His  Heavenly  Kingdom." 

The  following  anecdote  was  related  to  me  by  one  of 
the  Secretaries  of  the  C.  M.  S.  The  day  after  his  con- 
secration he  had  occasion  to  call  at  the  House  in  Salis- 
bury Square.  A  well-known  member  of  the  Committee 
met  him  on  the  staircase,  and  greeted  him  with,  "  I  must 
congratulate  you.  Bishop  Hannington";  to  whom  he  re- 
plied half  humorously,  yet  not  without  serious  meaning, 
"  Cofnmiserate  me,  you  mean." 

The  four  months  which  he  spent  in  England  after  his 
consecration  were  employed  in  organizing  his  new  dio- 
cese, in  commencing  a  Diocesan  Fund,  and  in  making 
additions  to  his  working  staff.  His  departure  was  some- 
what delayed  by  the  expectation  of  a  domestic  event 
which  added  a  fourth  child  to  his  household.  But  he 
was  not  idle  during  the  interim.  To  myself  he  wrote, 
"I  want  you  to  look  about  and  see  if  you  cannot  secure 
me  a  doctor  or  two."  No  doubt  many  others  received 
similar  communications.  He  searched  the  ranks  of  his 
friends  for  suitable  men  who  v/ould  be  willing  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  post  of  honor  and  danger  at  the  front. 

Amongst  others  he  corresponded  with  the  Rev.  E.  A. 
Fitch,  of  Pem.  Coll.,  Cambridge,  whom  he  eventually 
decided  to  take  with  him  as  his  Chaplain. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Fitch's  father,  the  Vicar  of  Cromer, 
he  says  : 

Bishop  who  could  be  so  firm,  and,  at  the  same  time,  so  kind  and 
considerate." — Letter  from  the  Rev.  E.  A,  Fitch. 


JEt.  36.]       A  n   Undenominatio7ial  Conference.  3 1 3 

"  My  dear  Sir, — I  am  afraid  that  you  will  look  upon 
me  as  a  wolf  and  a  robber;  though  I  hope  not. 

"  From  the  moment  that  you  mentioned  your  son,  I 
could  not  divest  myself  of  the  feeling  that  I  must  see 
him,  and  everything  then  seemed  to  lead  that  way. 
Most  earnestly  have  I  prayed  that  I  might  not  act  con- 
trary to  the  Mind  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  a  great  question, 
both  for  you  and  for  him  ;  but  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
blessed,  aye,  greatly  blessed,  in  making  the  sacrifice.  I 
am  giving  up  three  children  to  go  out,  for  they  cannot 
go  with  us,*  and  nobody  can  tell  how  at  times  my  heart 
bleeds.  It  is  agony.  But  I  can  do  it  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  I  believe  that  He  asks  it  of  me. 

"  If  it  is  finally  settled  that  your  son  goes  out,  I  will 
endeavor  to  be  a  brother  to  him  and  a  firm  friend.  Even 
yet  the  Lord  may  show  that  He  has  appointed  us  to  run 
some  different  course. 

"  I  remain,  yours  sincerely, 

"James  Hannington, 

"  Bishop  in  E.  Eq.  Africa." 

He  was  in  much  request  during  his  short  stay  at 
home,  and  was  invited  to  many  places.  Amongst  others 
I  find  reference  in  a  letter  to  his  wife  to  an  Undenom- 
inational Conference  which  had  been  arranged  by  Canon 
Basil  Wilberforce  to  meet  at  Southampton.     He  says: 

''Well,  we  had  a  curious  gathering  down  here.  On 
arrival,  I  found  myself  forming  one  of  a  select  party — 
the  Canon,  Mr.  Spurgeon,  Lord  Radstock,  and  the  Earl 
of  Lichfield.  Every  word  of  the  conversation  (after 
they  had  got  to  the  end  of  cross-questioning  me,  which 

*  At  that  time  it  had  been  planned  that  Mrs.  Hannington  and 
her  baby  should  follow  the  Bishop  to  Africa,  and  reside  at  Mom- 
basa. 

14 


314  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1884. 

took  about  an  hour)  seemed  worth  listening  to.  On 
Thursday  we  commenced  with  prayer  at  8,  Conference 
at  II,  at  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  first  spoke,  then  the  Bishop, 
then  Lord  Radstock.  Afterwards  Lord  and  Lady  Ailsa, 
and  Lord  and  Lady  Mt.  Edgecombe  came  to  lunch,  and 
spent  the  day.  They  all  seemed  bright  Christians. 
Spurgeon  and  I  had  a  good  time  together,  and  I  enjoyed 
his  society  immensely." 

.   Writing  to  myself  some  short  while  later,  he  says: 

"I  have  a  commission  from  the  Archbishop  to  visit 
Jerusalem,  and  confirm  the  Churches  on  the  way  out ; 

so  I  start  (d.v.)  on  Nov.  5th  for  the  Holy  Land 

My  wife  and  the  little  one  are  going  on  most  excellently 

well I  am  so  overladen  with  work  that  I  scarce 

know  what  to  do.  Warmest  love  to  self  and  Lucy," — 
while  tucked  into  the  corner  of  the  letter  are  the  words, 
"  Pray  for  us." 

In  some  form  or  other  that  request  was  seldom  absent 
from  his  letters.  He  was  never  content  unless  he  be- 
lieved that  all  his  friends  were  praying  for  him.  In  this 
respect  he  reminds  one  frequently  of  General  Gordon. 
Lord  Tennyson  surely  conceived  well  the  attitude  of  a 
truly  great  and  simple  mind  when  he  put  into  the  lips 
of  his  Arthur: 

"  More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of.     Wherefore,  let  thy  voice 

Rise  like  a  fountain  for  me  night  and  day 

For  so  the  whole  round  earth  is  every  way 
Bound  by  gold  chains  about  the  feet  of  God." 

The  word  prayer,  often  as  it  is  alluded  to  in  his  let- 
ters, never  fell  from  his  pen  as  a  conventional  platitude. 
Prayer  was  to  him,  in  the  most  real  sense,  "the  rope 
which  pulls  the  bell  in  heaven."     Here  is  a  letter  written 


J 


JEt.  27-]  Addresses  the   Troops.  315 

at  about  this  time  to  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  C.  M.  S., 
when  some  important  subject,  upon  which  there  were 
likely  to  be  differences  of  opinion,  was  about  to  be  dis- 
cussed: 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Wigram, — I  must  send  a  word  to  say 
how  fully  I  realize  that  you  will  be  helped  and  guided 
by  the  tenderest  of  Fathers,  the  God  of  all  Grace,  on 
Monday.  I  gathered  that  possibly  a  few  bitter  things 
might  be  given  utterance  to,  though  I  hope  not.  At  all 
events,  'tis  a  trying  time  and  a  crisis;  and  we  who  can- 
not speak  much  are  going  to  pray  for  your  guidance. 

The  wisdom  of  the  serpent  would  suggest  that 

should  be  received  with  warmth  and  extra  courtesy. 
"  Yours  in  something  more  than  affection, 

''J.  H.,  Bp." 

Having  received  the  aforesaid  Commission  from  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Bishop  Hannington  sailed  on 
November  5th,  making  his  passage  in  the  N'epaiil.  They 
had  troops  on  board,  two  hundred  of  whom  were  to  be 
transferred  to  another  vessel  at  Gibraltar;  them,  on  the 
first  Sunday,  the  Bishop  addressed  in  a  vigorous  ten 
minutes'  exposition  on  "  the  command  of  the  King  to 
repent."  This  was  a  thing  he  could  do  well  and  effect- 
ively, and  the  men  heard  him  with  marked  attention. 
To  his  wife  he  wrote  by  the  next  mail:  '*  To  realize  more 
of  the  wonderful  love  of  the  Lord  is  what  we  want,  and  we 
can  then  endure  separation  and  any  other  hardships  for 

His  sake I  hope  Meppy  liked  his  letter.     I  must 

send  Carry  the  next  one,  and  then  I  suppose  that  Paul 
must  not  be  left  out  in  the  cold."  On  the  following 
Sunday  the  Bishop  was  again  hard  at  work,  first  con- 
ducting Service  and  preaching  to  the  soldiers,  then 
hurrying  to  the  other  end  of  the   ship  and  addressing 


3i6  James  Hamiington.  [A.D.  1884. 

the  saloon  passengers ;  and  finally  giving  a  Missionary- 
address  in  the  evening,  in  consequence  of  which  one  of 
his  hearers  gave  him  ^^  for  his  Diocese.  There  were 
some  Sussex  people  on  board,  who  soon  told  everybody 
all  about  him,  and  he  was  made  a  great  deal  of. 

At  Port  Said  the  Bishop  and  his  Chaplain  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  Clio,  in  which  they  sailed  to  Beirut,  Then 
followed  five  tedious  days  of  quarantine;  but  our  Bishop 
was  not  the  man  to  gnaw  his  nails  and  look  glum  upon 
such  an  occasion.  Out  came  his  note-books,  paint-box, 
grammar,  and  writing-desk  ;  and  what  with  his  endless 
correspondence,  languages,  and  water-colors,  the  time 
passed  rapidly  enough.  He  says  :  "  It  has  given  me  the 
opportunity  of  writing  up  many  of  my  African  letters 
and  a  few  home  to  odd  friends.  I  am,  as  usual,  full  of 
various  little  items — reading,  painting,  writing,  etc. — so 
that  I  find  very  little  spare  time." 

At  Beirut  and  other  places  he  confirmed  many  Euro- 
peans and  natives,  and  visited  Christian  Missions  of 
every  denomination,  being  everywhere  well  received. 
From  Tiberias  he  writes  to  his  wife  :  "  What  is  more,  I 
have  been  able  to  stick  to  my  flying  colors,  and  shall 
finish  up,  God  willing,  in  a  month  instead  of  two  ; 
though  I  would  willingly  have  trodden  those  sacred 
spots  for  another  month." 

From  Damascus  he  visited  Bashan  and  the  "  giant 
cities,"  and  so  to  Tiberias.*  He  continues  :  "  Mr.  Con- 
nor,! the  Hauran  Missionary,  accompanied  us,  and  added 

*  "  The  Bishop  would  often  dismount  and  walk  to  keep  himself 
in  trim  for  his  African  marches." — Letter  from  the  Rev.  E.  A. 
Fitch. 

\  The  Bishop  while  in  Palestine  ordained  Mr.  W.  F.  Connor, 
together  with  two  native  agents,  Messrs.  Ibraham  Baz  and  Murad 
el  Haddad,  all  admitted  to  Deacon's  Orders. 


^t.  37-]  At  Jerusalem.  317 

greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  journey,  as  he  knows  many 
of  the  great  Druse  chiefs,  and  speaks  Arabic  very  flu- 
ently, so  that  we  were  not  only  able  to  hear  all  that  was 
passing,  but  also  to  see  into  the  home  life  of  these  chiefs. 
We  were  entertained  in  a  '  tent  of  Kedar.'  I  visited  all 
the  schools  near  Damascus  but  one  which  had  been  vis- 
ited by  Mr.  Allan.  I  was  greatly  pleased  with  what  I 
saw,  and  encouraged  by  the  work.  I  am  thankful  to 
have  been  not  only  the  first  Bishop,  but  also  the  first 
visitor  to  inspect  this  work.  Very  few  travellers  venture 
through  the  Hauran,  on  account  of  the  danger  from 
Bedawin  ;  but,  as  you  know,  that  was  not  likely  to  pre- 
vent your  husband." 

At  Jerusalem  he  was  in  great  request,  and  got  through 
an  immense  amount  of  work,  confirming,  preaching,  and 
inspecting  ;  notwithstanding,  he  found  time  to  visit 
nearly  all  the  traditional  sites  of  interest.  With  modern 
Jerusalem  he  was  not  favorably  impressed.  He  writes  : 
"  The  town  is  vile,  and  the  sites  are  chiefly  fictions. 
The  Mosque  of  Omar,  however,  is  a  magnificent  build- 
ing, and  the  whole  of  a  morning  was  soon  swallowed  up 
inspecting  it,  as  I  had  the  benefit  of  the  architect  who  is 
superintending  the  repairs,  and  who  accompanied  me 
and  pointed  out  all  the  noticeable  features  and  the  few 
discoveries  which  have  been  lately  made." 

He  was  much  amused  to  find  how  great  a  personage 
he  had  suddenly  become,  and  what  a  vast  difference 
there  was  in  the  estimation  of  some  people  between  Mr. 
Hannington  and  the  Bishop  of  Eastern  Equatorial 
Africa.  He  writes  to  his  wife,  with  a  pen  that  reveals 
a  quiet  smile,  "  I  find  that  people  stand  rather  in  awe  of 
your  poor  husband  ;  but  I  am  sure  that  they  need  not, 
for  I  am  an  exceedingly  meek  and  unpretentious  indi- 
vidual." 


3i8  James  Hmtnington.  [A.D.  1885. 

Had  they  seen  him  leaping  through  the  pools  at  Mar- 
tinhoe  in  his  episcopal  apron  and  gaiters,  would  they 
any  longer  have  stood  in  awe  of  him  ?  Perhaps  not  ; 
but  they  would  have  loved  him  none  the  less. 

New  Year's  Day,  1885,  the  commencement  of  the  last 
year  of  his  short  life,  was  the  last  day  of  his  sojourn  in 
Palestine.  It  was  spent  at  Jaflfa,  which  he  describes  as 
"a  complete  sea  of  oranges."  While  there  he  inspected 
Miss  Arnott's  school,  of  which  he  jots  down  the  follow- 
ing appreciatory  note*  "  Much  pleased,  the  singing  being 
especially  good.  I  wrote  in  the  book  to  the  effect  that 
this  was  the  best  school  I  had  inspected." 

Mr.  Fitch,  writing  of  the  time  which  he  spent  with  his 
Bishop  in  Palestine,  says  :  "  How  kind  and  gentle  he 
was  to  all ;  how  considerate  for  others,  and  anxious  not 
to  give  an  offence,  even  where  a  rebuke  was  necessary  ; 
and  so  spiritually-minded,  walking  so  closely  with  God. 
I  shall  never  forget  our  journey  together.  Every  morn- 
ing, often  in  the  early  dusk,  we  would  have  prayers  to- 
gether, and  always  the  Hundred-and-twenty-first  Psalm, 
which  I  had  to  read.  If  the  books  had  been  packed 
away,  the  Bishop  himself  would  say  the  psalm  by  heart. 
He  was  so  kind  and  genial  ;  everybody  loved  him. 
Wherever  he  went  there  was  a  brightness.  On  board 
ship  all  loved  him.  Wherever  we  went  in  Palestine  the 
people  complained  that  their  time  with  him  was  too 
short." 

On  January  2d  the  African  party  embarked  on  board 
the  Ettore,  from  which,  in  due  course,  after  visiting 
Cairo  and  the  Pyramids,  and  holding  out  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship  to  all  the  Christian  workers  whom  they 
were  able  to  reach,  they  exchanged  to  the  Surat  at  Suez. 
A  less  profitable  exchange  was  again  made  at  Aden,  into 
the  Baghdad,  bound  for  Mombasa.     The  Bishop  writes 


JEt.  27-]  ^/^^  Z^?^/   Voyage.  3x9 

in  his  pocket-book  :  "  My  heart  sank  as  I  smelt  the  cock- 
roaches and  bilge-water."  A  polite  and  obliging  cap- 
tain, however,  made  up  for  many  discomforts,  and  the 
weather  being  propitious,  the  voyage  was  concluded 
pleasantly  enough. 

"  The  Chaplain  most  indignant  with  me  for  betraying 
that  he  had  not  crossed  the  line,  not  knowing  that  there 
is  not  a  sufficient  staff  on  board  to  enact  the  part  of 
Neptune  and  his  crew.  Mr.  Gordon,  the  ship's  purser, 
and  the  Chaplain,  are  getting  wrought  up  to  a  tremen- 
dous pitch  about  Neptune  ;  alas  !  that  he  cannot  come 
on  board  ! "  There  is  little  doubt  that  these  fears  would 
not  be  calmed  by  that  old  and  accomplished  hand  at 
teasing. 

Next,  the  father's  voice  is  heard  in  the  little  pocket 
book  :  "  To-day  we  get  into  the  latitude  of  flying-fish. 
They  completely  swarm  ;  flying  out  of  the  vessel's  way 
by  shoals.     Two   flew  on   board.     I  wish  the  children 
could  see  them  ! 

"  Onward  we  go,  winds  and  waves  helping  us  ;  and 
to-day,  Jan.  21st,  we  cross  the  line,  nobody  knows  ex- 
actly when  and  no  Neptune.  And  now  we  must  find  a 
new  string  to  the  teasing  bow,  or  fall  back  upon  Taylor's 
'  theories.'  " 

Onward  he  went,  winds  and  waves  helping  him.  No 
contrary  gales  this  time  ;  all  things  were  made  easy  for 
that  last  voyage  which  was  to  conduct  him  to  his  death. 
The  vessel  cut  her  way  steadily  through  smiling  seas, 
leaving  a  long  track  of  foam  behind  upon  the  blue 
water,  and  scattering  the  glittering  shoals  of  flying-fish 
from  her  prow.  On  board  all  were  full  of  life  and  hope. 
The  Bishop  sparkled  with  kindly  fun,  and  communicated 
his  cheerful  spirits  to  all  the  company.  How  could  they 
foresee    what    nine    months    misfht   brins:   forth  ?     The 


320  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

shadow  of  that  great  sorrow  which  has  fallen  upon  the 
Church  on  his  account  was  creeping  upon  them,  and 
those  events  which  were  to  consummate  his  death  were 
already  combining  ;  but  of  that  shadow  they,  as  yet,  felt 
not  the  chill. 

Thursday,  Jan.  22d. — "  Smell  of  the  shore  came  off  to 
our  salt-washed  nostrils." 

As  they  entered  Lamoo  Creek,  the  first  sight  that  met 
their  eyes  was  a  sort  of  symbol  of  the  contest  in  which 
they,  as  emissaries  of  the  Lord's  Host,  were  about  to 
engage.  "On  the  shore  we  could  see  a  battle-field, 
with  numbers  of  bones  lying  about." 

On  Saturday,  the  24th,  they  steamed  into  the  sheltered 
harbor  of  Mombasa.  The  Bishop  was  not  expected. 
No  one  knew  exactly  when  he  might  arrive.  "  No  stir 
in  either  place.     Frere  Town  might  have  been  in  bed. 

"  Presently  a  small  dingy  pulled  leisurely  past,  and 
learned  the  news.  The  dingy  flew  back  to  Frere  Town. 
There  the  crew  dashed  out  and  ran  up  the  bank,  and  in 
two  minutes  the  whole  place  seemed  alive.  In  a  trice 
two  boats  came  racing  down  upon  us  and  carried  me 
off.  A  thousand  people  came  to  the  shore  ;  guns  fired, 
horns  blew,  women  shrieked,  I  laughed  and  cried.  Alto- 
gether, there  was  a  grand  welcome,  and  the  moment 
we  could  get  a  little  quiet  we  knelt  down  and  thanked 
God." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


FRERE    TOWN. 


(1885.) 

"To  use  force  first,  before  people  are  fairly  taught  the  truth,  is 
to  knock  a  nail  into  a  board  without  wimbling  a  hole  for  it,  which 
then  either  not  enters,  or  turns  crooked,  or  splits  the  wood  it 
pierceth." — Fuller  :  "  The  Good  Bishop." 

As  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map,  Frere  Town 
is  situated  on  the  mainland,  four  degrees  south  of  the 
Equator.  The  size  of  the  map  does  not  permit  it  to  be 
made  equally  clear  that  Mombasa  is  an  island  separated 
from  Frere  Town  by  a  narrow  channel,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  width.  When  Sir  Bartle  Frere  returned 
from  his  special  ,  Mission  to  Zanzibar  in  1873,  to  en- 
deavor to  put  down  the  slave-trade,  he  strongly  urged 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  to  establish  a  settlement 
for  liberated  slaves  at  Mombasa.  Tidings  of  the  death 
of  Livingstone,  which  reached  home  early  in  1874,  had 
caused  the  ears  of  Englishmen  to  tingle;  every  one  was 
interested  in  the  suppression  of  the  horrible  slave-traffic, 
and  a  special  fund  was  speedily  provided  for  the  pur- 
chase of  the  necessary  site.  Ground  was  bought  upon 
the  mainland  opposite  to  Mombasa  ;  houses  were  built, 
and  the  settlement  was  named  Frere  Town  in  honor  of 
its  originator.  In  the  following  year  nearly  500  slaves 
rescued  by  British  cruisers  were  received.  Gradually, 
also,  a  multitude  of  the  neighboring  Wa-Nyika  attached 
themselves  to  the  settlement,  and  Frere  Town  may  now 
14*  (321) 


322  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

be  termed  the  headquarters  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society's  work  on  the  East  Coast  of  Africa. 

Frere  Town  is  pleasantly  situated.  Mr.  Joseph  Thom- 
son thus  describes  it :  "  The  view  of  the  station  across 
the  apparently  land-locked  creek  was  most  inviting.  On 
the  left,  from  a  dense  grove  of  magnificent  mangoes, 
could  be  seen  a  snow-white  house,  with  iron  roofing, 
well  set  off  by  the  dense  shade  around.  Further,  to  the 
right,  lay  another  white  house  with  fiat  roof,  situated 
among  more  airy  trees  and  waving  palms.  Several 
edifices  of  smaller  size  gave  the  idea  of  a  charming 
European  settlement."  * 

Behind  Frere  Town  the  creek  extends  for  some  twenty 
miles  inland  toward  Kisulutini,  or  Rabai,  as  it  is  more 
commonly  called,  and  as  we  will  henceforth  term  it, 
where  there  is  also  a  C.  M.  S.  station. 

The  church  in  Frere  Town  was  at  that  time  in  charge 
of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Handford.  The  Rev.  W.  E.  Taylor 
was  located  at  Rabai.  The  whole  of  the  new  Bishop's 
working  staff  in  Central  Africa  consisted  of  twelve 
clergy,  priests  and  deacons,  eleven  laymen,  and  four 
ladies,  wives  of  missionaries  ;  twenty  -  seven  in  all. 
These,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map,  where 
all  the  Stations  of  the  Diocese  are  marked  with  blue 
ink,  were  scattered  over  an  enormous  extent  of  country.f 

The  Bishop's  first  care  was  to  make  himself  thorough- 
ly acquainted  with  all  the  details  of  the  work  which  was 
being  carried  on  in  the  district.  He  began  at  once 
with  Frere  Town  ;  visited  the  schools,  and  was  present 
at  the  Services  in  church.  With  these  he  was  more 
than  pleased.     The  voices  here  were  far  better  in  quality 

*  Through  Masai  Land,  p.  39. 

fThe  stations  of  the  Universities'  Mission  are  marked  U. 


^t.  37.]  His  Private  Letters.  323 

than  those  of  the  tribes  further  south,  and  the  singing 
was  delightfully  hearty.  The  church,  too,  was  crammed 
with  a  very  well-behaved  body  of  worshippers,  who 
seemed  to  realize  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
gathered  together. 

It  is  true  that  all  things  did  not  equally  meet  with  his 
approval,  but  the  letters  which  follow  must  be  read  by 
one  who  either  knew  the  Bishop  in  life,  or  may  have 
learned  to  know  him  in  the  preceding  pages.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  to  convey  an  accurate  impression  of 
his  feelings  by  a  mere  reproduction  of  his  letters.  To  a 
stranger  they  might  even  suggest  an  entirely  different 
meaning  to  that  which  the  writer  intended,  or  which  his 
correspondents  understood.  The  golden  rule  to  be  ob- 
served in  reading  his  private  letters  is  to  remember  that 
his  emphatic  diction  must  not  be  taken  too  literally.  By 
this  it  is  not  meant  that  he  was  given  to  exaggeration. 
That  is  the  last  crime  that  could  be  laid  to  his  charge. 
He  was  perfectly  well  aware  that  his  friends  understood 
him.  To  strangers  he  could  write  staidly  and  formally 
enough.  When  he  styles  himself  to  a  friend  as  "  in 
grief,  sorrov/,  and  amazement,"  another  person  would 
probably  have  merely  written  a  note  of  exclamation 
after  his  statement.  When  he  assures  his  correspondent 
that  he  was  "  frightened  out  of  his  wits,"  he  merely  in- 
tends to  remind  him  that  the  situation  was  an  awkward 
one.  He  loved  to  describe  himself  as  "  boiling  over 
with  rage,"  "  frantic,"  etc.,  etc.,  but  his  real  anger,  upon 
the  rare  occasions  on  which  it  was  displayed,  was  ex- 
pressed very  differently. 

There  is  a  very  characteristic  letter  of  his  in  which 
his  disapprobation  is  shown  by  a  number  of  deep  pen- 
strokes  or  sputters  driven  through  the  paper,  and  de- 
scribed as  "  marks  of  wrath  "  ! 


324  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

The  following  letters,  then,  must  be  read,  in  the  first 
place,  as  written  by  Bishop  Hannington ;  and,  secondly, 
it  must  be  remembered  that  they  were  written  to  those 
who,  as  he  well  knew,  thoroughly  understood  him.  It 
is  a  very  remarkable  testimony  to  the  complete  concord 
which  existed  between  himself  and  the  Committee  of 
the  Society  whose  Missionary  Bishop  he  was,  that  he 
should  have  allowed  his  letters,  even  when  addressed  to 
them  as  a  body,  to  be  characterized  by  so  much  freedom 
of  expression.  But,  indeed,  he  was  both  loved  and 
esteemed  at  Salisbury  Square,  where  the  greatest  con- 
fidence was  felt  in  his  judgment,  and  where  his  schemes 
and  reforms  met  with  the  heartiest  encouragement. 

The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Lang  : 

"  Greetings  and  good  wishes  very  many,  with  fervent 

prayer  for  blessing  on  your  work And  now  for 

first  impressions.  Frere  Town  struck  me  as  one  of  the 
most  lovely  spots  I  have  seen.  It  is  laid  out  with  the 
care  and  precision  of  those  advertisements  you  see  hang- 
ing up  at  railway  stations  !  But — one  shudders  slightly 
(a  kind  of  half-gratified  shudder,  as  we  reap  the  benefit) 

to   see   such    palatial   residences Then  followed 

grief,  sorrow,  amazement,  which  increases,  to  find  the 
Missionaries  dwelling  in  houses  of  cedar,  and  the  ark 

scarce  resting  in  curtains This  must  strike  most 

painfully  on  all  comers The  opinion  of  the  world 

is  not  what  we  should  care  about,  but  this  cannot  be 
right.     And  I  mean  to  stick  to  my  opinion." 

Others  than  Bishop  Hannington  had,  indeed,  noticed 
this  fact.  Mr.  Joseph  Thomson,  for  example,  writes, 
rather  sarcastically  :  "  This  charming  European  settle- 
ment suggested  the  mental  ejaculation  that,  however 
dark  and  dreary  might  be  the  moral  and  religious  out- 


/Et.  37.]  The  Church  at  Frere  Town.  325 

look,  temporally  the  lines  of  the  Missionaries  had  fallen 
in  pleasant  places." 

The  Bishop  felt  most  strongly  that  this  ought  not  so 
to  be.  And  one  of  his  earliest  cares  was  to  remove  this 
reproach,  and  arrange  for  the  building  of  a  church 
which  should  be  worthy  of  the  headquarters  of  the  Mis- 
sion.    Writing  to  Mr.  Wigram,  he  says  : 

"  And  now,  be  frightened,  and  talk  about  '  new 
brooms';  but  we  have  quite  decided  to  appeal  for  a 
new  church.  I  won't  fulminate  by  this  mail,  but  we 
must  have  a  decent  church.  Not  a  tin  ark,  or  a  cocoa- 
nut  barn,  but  a  proper  stone  church,  a  church  to  the 
glory  of  God  ;  and  so,  in  spite  of  famine  and  other  diffi- 
culties, let  us  strike  for  it  now."* 

One  of  the  first  aims  of  the  Bishop  was  to  stir  up  in 
his  diocese  a  keen  desire  for  souls,  which  should  not  be 
satisfied  by  merely  external  improvement  in  the  moral 
and  social  state  of  the  natives.  He  knew  that  personal 
holiness  among  the  workers  was  the  only  surety  for 
work  of  this  kind.  Both  by  example,  and  by  his  stirring 
addresses,  he  inculcated  a  high  standard  cf  Christian  life. 

In  no  place  more  than  in  Africa  are  George  Herbert's 
quaintly-sounding  words  verified  : 

*  It  is  right  to  state  that,  about  ten  years  before,  a  sum  of 
;^i,ooo  was  provided  for  the  erection  of  a  church  at  Frere  Town. 
Owing,  however,  to  the  wreck  of  a  dhow  which  contained  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  materials  purchased  at  Bombay,  and  to 
other  causes,  only  sufficient  reached  Frere  Town  wherewith  to 
build  a  school-room.  The  C.  M.  S.  very  properly  does  not  hold 
itself  responsible  for  the  building  of  permanent  churches.  When 
a  community  of  native  Christians  has  been  formed,  and  the  preach- 
ing chapels  no  longer  suffice  for  their  wants,  the  building  of  a  suit- 
able church  is  left  to  their  own  individual  effort,  aided  by  a  special 
grant  and  such  appeals  to  the  Church  at  home  as  Bishop  Hanning- 
ton  proposed  on  this  occasion  to  make. 


326  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

"Who  keeps  no  guard  upon  himself  is  slack. 
And  rots  to  nothing  at  the  next  great  thaw. 
Man  is  a  shop  of  rules  ;  a  well  trussed  pack. 
Whose  ev'ery  parcel  underwrites  a  law. 
Lose  not  thyself,  nor  give  thy  humors  way ; 
God  gave  them  to  thee  under  lock  and  key." 

Both  men  and  institutions  are  apt  to  grow  "slack" 
when  long  removed  from  the  wholesome  stimulus  of 
public  opinion. 

The  man  who  is  long  separated  from  the  elevating 
and  stirring  influence  of  his  equals  and  betters  needs  to 
maintain  a  high  level  of  spirituality  lest  he  should  sink 
to  the  lov/  level  of  those  by  whom  he  is  constantly  sur- 
rounded ;  with  whose  customs  he  becomes  daily  more 
familiarized,  and  of  whose  frailties  he  almost  insensibly 
becomes  more  and  more  tolerant.  There  have  been 
terrible  falls  in  Africa.  Hannington  felt  that  if  his  dio- 
cese was  to  shine  as  a  City  of  God,  it  must  be  occupied 
by  a  body  of  men  who  were  united  together  by  the  con- 
sciousness that  each  one  was  himself  united  to  the  Lord 
of  the  Church.  During  his  short  episcopate  he  did 
much  to  infuse  spiritual  life  and  vigor  into  every  man, 
and  every  branch  of  every  department  of  the  work. 

He  found  an  excellent  organization,  good  schools,  and 
a  crowded  church,*  Into  this  well-ordered  community 
he  came  as  a  spiritual  impetus,  and  as  one  who  was  well 
fitted  to  supply  the  one  crying  need  of  that  time — the 
leadership  of  a  master  mind,  whose  authority  was  prop- 
erly constituted  and  generally  acknowledged,  to  bind 
together  the  individual  workers,  and  give  them  the  im- 
pulse of  a  body  united  under  one  head.     A   flock   of 

*  At  the  daily  Morning  Service  at  6.30  A.M.,  Hannington  noticed 
on  one  occasion  about  500  present. 


^t.  27']   •  ^^^^  Mission  Steamer.  327 

shepherds  is  well-nigh  as  helpless  without  a  head  shep- 
herd, as  without  them  is  a  flock  of  scattered  sheep. 

The  Bishop  set  about  altering  such  few  things  as 
needed  reforma'tion  with  consummate  tact.  Take  the 
case  of  the  Mission  steamer  as  an  example.  He  is  writ- 
ing to  the  Secretary  of  the  C  M.  S.  to  ascertain  exactly 
what  amount  of  authority  they  will  authorize  him  to  ex- 
ercise over  their  lay  agents  : 

"  I  feel  that  I  may  without  hesitation  speak  in  the 
highest  terms  of  the  sea-going  qualities  and  the  pace  of 
the  Henry  Wright.  I  am  more  than  gratified  and  sur- 
prised. Of  course,  I  am  comparing  her  with  other  ves- 
sels and  yachts  of  her  own  size.  Some  who  have  spoken 
of  her  discomforts  only  remember  P.  and  O.  boats,  and 
I  might  thus  appear  to  contradict  them,  and  make  Salis- 
bury Square  wonder  which  to  believe.  As  to  the  con- 
dition in  which  she  is,  I  find  that  terrible  ;  and  the  tale 
of  the  West  Coast  will  soon  be  repeated  unless  attention 
is  paid  to  this.  I  at  once  spoke  my  mind,  but  at  present 
have  met  with  little  response  and  plenty  of  excuses  and 
objections. 

"I  find  that  I  don't  really  know  what  authority  I  have, 
and  what  arrangements  you  have  made  with  the  captain. 
You  must  let  me  know  fully  about  this,  and  let  him  (and 
others)  know  whether  I  am  to  act  as  your  representative. 
I  find  him  a  very  nice  and  kind  man,  most  attentive  to 
all  my  wants,  and  I  think  that  I  have  gained  his  estima- 
tion by  being  capable  of  taking  a  spell  at  the  wheel,  and 
turning  out  at  about  2  a.m.  to  see  that  things  were  pro- 
ceeding comfortably.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  very 
little  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  ship  must  be  kept  dif- 
ferently, otherwise  decay,  moth,  rust,  etc.,  will  do  their 
work.     The  difficulty   is,  that  the  sailors  would  strike 


328  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

for  higher  wages.  I  offer  a  solution,  namely,  that  the 
best  man  be  raised  a  little,  and  made  a  petty  (very 
petty)  officer.  That  No.  2  be  discharged  if  he  will  not 
do  more  work,  and  another  be  engaged  at  a  lower  rate. 
That  every  day  when  the  Henry  Wright  is  in  harbor, 
three  or  four  of  the  school-boys  be  sent  off  to  be  trained 
in  cleaning  the  ship.  These  boys  could  then,  after  a 
time,  easily  get  berths  as  officers'  servants  on  the  steamer, 
or  would  come  in  for  house  boys.  I  do  not  know  how 
you,  or  Handford,  or  the  captain  will  receive  this  ;  but 
of  one  thing  I  am  certain — something  must  be  done.  If 
you  can  give  me  no  autocracy,*  you  will  not  inform  the 

captain  of  this I  have  gently  assumed  that  I  am 

to  act  for  you,  taking  care  not  to  place  myself  in  a  false 
position,  or  rather  lay  myself  open  to  a  refusal  before  I 
could  meet  it." 

He  determined  that  he  would  not  rest  until  he  had 
put  all  things  in  order ;  but  as  it  had  been  at  Hurstpier- 
point,  so  it  would  be  in  Africa,  his  suggestions  would  be 
so  gently  and  seasonably  made  that  the  reformed  would 
probably  look  upon  themselves  as  the  reformers.  In  the 
meanwhile  he  roused  up  everybody  by  his  own  indefati- 
gable energy.  None  could  settle  with  any  comfort  upon 
their  lees  while  the  Bishop  stirred  about  so  briskly,  and 
displayed  such  boundless  powers  of  locomotion.  To- 
day in  Mombasa,  to-morrow  at  Zanzibar,  a  few  days 
later  at  Taita,  again  prospecting  around  Kilima-njaro, 
and,  suddenly,  while  all  thought  him  far  away  in  the  in- 
terior, reappearing  in  the  streets  of  Frere  Town.  No 
one  knew  where  next  to  expect  their  Bishop.     He  car- 

*  The  Bishop  afterwards  learned  that  he  was  regarded  as  the 
Head  of  the  Mission,  and  that  the  Committee  had  given  him  full 
authority  to  do  all  that  was  necessary. 


iEt.  37.]  His  Grand  Unselfishness.  329 

ried  with  him  an  atmosphere  which  annihilated  stagna- 
tion. All  were  kept  in  expectation  and  movement,  and 
while  he  thus  set  the  example  of  unsparing  application 
to  the  work  of  the  Mission,  he  also  in  the  most  quietly 
practical  manner  demonstrated  what  in  Africa  is  not  al- 
ways easy  to  put  into  practice — is  it  easy  anywhere  ? — 
the  duty  of  considering  others'  comfort  before  one's  own. 

Mr.  Copplestone  has  communicated  to  me  one  exam- 
ple of  this  among  many  such  which  is  very  characteris- 
tic of  Hannington's  way  of  life.  He  says  :  "  On  our 
arrival  at  Frere  Town  we  had  another  exhibition  of  his 
grand  unselfishness.  He  made  us  put  up  at  his  own 
house,  the  palace,  and,  out  of  the  two  bedrooms,  he  gave 
one  to  Mr.  Hooper  and  the  other  to  myself,  while  he 
himself  occupied  a  small  place  close  under  the  roof  ; 
and,  do  what  we  would,  we  could  not  persuade  him  to 
change  his  purpose."  That  was  his  notion  of  the  manner 
in  which  "humanity"  should  be  shown  to  strangers.* 

Acts  of  this  kind  which  call  forth  no  heroic  self-sacri- 
fice, but  which  merely  entail  personal  discomfort  on  be- 
half of  others,  are  ever  the  hardest  to  perform  gracious- 
ly, and  the  rarest.  But  by  such  the  memory  of  a  man 
lingers  longer  in  the  hearts  of  his  friends  than  if,  on 
some  supreme  occasion,  he  had  ventured  his  life  for 
them. 

One  of  the  Bishop's  first  acts  was,  of  course,  to  pay  a 
complimentary  visit  to  the  Arab  Governor  of  Mombasa. 
The  Governor,  whom  Mr,  Thomsom  mentions  as  not 
being  on  a  very  friendly  footing  with  the  Missionaries, 
had  been  superseded  by  another,  of  whom  Hannington 
says  that  he  was  "a  very  nice  man."     It  is  amusing  to 

*"Vidi  necesse  esse  habere  episcopum  exhibere  humanitatem 
quiscunque  venientibus  sive  transeuntibus." — S.  AUGUST, 


330  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

note  in  the  day's  brief  entry  in  the  tiny  pocket-book  the 
words:  "Weather  less  warm  ;  in  spite  of  Bp.'s  clothes, 
felt  cool."  Our  traveller,  who  would,  if  he  could,  have 
willingly  imitated  Fox,  and  donned  a  "  perennial  suit " 
of  some  ever-enduring  substance,  was  evidently  rather 
impatient  of  his  episcopal  apron  and  gaiters.  He  would 
not  be  quite  comfortable  until  he  could  once  more  thrust 
himself  into  that  old  coat  of  rusty  brown  tweed,  in  which 
he  had  botanized  on  Lundy,  scaled  the  Alps  at  Zermatt, 
and  walked  nearly  a  thousand  miles  to  and  from  the 
great  Nyanza. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  he  gave  a  great  feast  to 
the  inhabitants,  at  which  800  sat  down  to  curry  and  rice. 
Afterwards,  he  says,  "  they  beat  the  drum  and  danced  ; 
one  or  two  of  the  different  tribal  dances  were  very  curi- 
ous." 

"  Sunday,  Feb.  i. — Handford  has  had  a  kind  of  throne 
made  for  me  outside  the  chancel  rails,  and  to-day  I  was 
enthroned.  Administered  the  Holy  Communion.  About 
60  present." 

The  next  day  he  left  in  the  Henry  Wright  for  Zanzibar 
to  visit  the  Sultan  and  Sir  John  Kirk.  He  was  also  anx- 
ious to  have  a  talk  with  Bishop  Smythies.  The  Consul, 
however,  was  away  from  home,  and  Bishop  Smythies 
was  on  the  mainland,  at  Magila.  Hannington  at  once 
made  up  his  mind  to  cross  to  Pangani  and  walk  to  the 
Station  of  the  Universities'  Mission.  The  heat  on  the 
road  was  frightful.  Hannington  was  not  yet  "  in  train- 
ing," and  he  found  that  the  twenty-five-mile  walk  along 
the  waterless  track  taxed  his  strength  to  the  utmost. 
Indeed,  he  got  a  touch  of  the  sun  and  fell,  half-faint- 
ing, in  the  path.  A  donkey  was  sent  to  meet  him  from 
Mkuzi,  and  he  remained  there  for  the  night,  hospitably 


JEt.  2,7-]  Advancing  the  Mission.  331 

entertained    by   Mr.   Wallis,   the    clergyman  in  charge. 
The  diary  continues  : 

"  Too  much  exhausted  to  talk  or  do  anything.  Man- 
aged, however,  to  attend  Evening  Service.  An  alarm  of 
an  attack  by  Wadigo,  a  savage  tribe,  before  going  to 
bed.  Couldn't  sleep  for  heat,  fleas,  mosquitoes,  and  ex- 
treme exhaustion.  Very  poorly  in  morning.  Attended 
Morning  Service,  but  had  great  difficulty  in  sitting  up  to 
breakfast.  After  mid-day,  however,  the  heat,  90°  in  the 
shade,  fell  rapidly.  I  revived  and  started  on  the  don- 
key. After  riding  about  eight  miles,  the  Bishop  met  me 
with  a  hearty  welcome. 

"  Next  day,  Sunday,  6.30  a.m.,  the  Bishop  held  a  Con- 
firmation. Mitre  and  Cope.  Address  very  good.  After 
the  Services  of  the  day,  in  the  cool  of  the  afternoon,  I 
had  a  long  talk  with  the  Bishop;  with  all  his  ritualism 
he  is  strong  on  the  point  of  conversion,  and  is  very  par- 
ticular about  Baptism  and  Communion  not  being  ad- 
ministered before  conversion,  either  to  heathen  or 
professing  Christians.  Monday,  4.30,  left  on  donkey, 
the  Bishop  accompanying  me  a  long  distance  on  the 
road." 

Three  days  later  he  called  on  Sir  John  Kirk,  who 
strongly  advised  him  to  advance  the  Mission  to  Taveta 
and  Chagga,  and  after  an  interview  with  the  Sultan  and 
his  commander-in-chief,  Gen.  Matthews,  he  once  more 
steamed  northward  in  his  own  vessel,  the  Henry  Wright. 
He  says:  "No  one  who  has  not  experienced  the  horrors 
of  a  voyage  in  an  African  dhow  can  appreciate  what  a 
comfort  this  little  steamer  is  to  us." 

They  did  not  reach  Frere  Town  until  Sunday  morn- 
ing, as  the  engines  of  the  boat  were  rather  out  of  order. 
"Very  surprised  to  find  that  a  new  aisle  to  the  church 


332  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

had  been  commenced  without  my  hearing  a  word  about 
it.     To-morrow  I  must  speak,  not  to-day." 

Mr.  Handford  had  evidently  not  yet  accustomed  him- 
self to  the  idea  that  he  was  no  longer  commander-in- 
chief  at  the  Station.  On  the  following  day  a  Commit- 
tee Meeting  was  held  of  all  the  workers,  to  discuss  the 
affairs  of  the  Mission.  The  following  brief  entry  in  the 
pocket-book  refers  to  it:  "We  discussed  some  disagree- 
able questions,  but  all  passed  off  well,  and  I  feel  that 
matters  will  in  future  be  less  difficult  for  me." 

It  was  clear  that  the  new  Bishop  would  require  all  his 
tact  to  maintain  his  just  authority  without  causing  an 
uncomfortable  amount  of  friction.  But  if  friendship 
and  general  hearty  good-will  were  to  be  preserved  to- 
gether with  discipline  and  obedience,  this  was  surely  the 
man  to  effect  it. 

A  day  or  two  later  he  writes:  "All  I  can  do  is  let- 
ters, letters,  letters,  with  just  a  little  exercise  and  a 
good  many  interruptions.  Things  going  smoothly,  and 
much  more  comfortable  for  me  than  before.  The  Lord  be 
praised." 

Bishop  Hannington  wrote  a  great  number  of  import- 
ant and  valuable  letters  from  Frere  Town,  which  throw 
light  on  everything  of  which  they  treat,  and  help  to 
disentangle  some  knotty  questions.  Though  his  own 
supervision  of  the  diocese  was  so  brief,  it  will  be  found 
that  he  has  done  much  to  clear  the  way  for  his  successor, 
and  to  make  his  position  a  plain  and  simple  one.  We 
may  here  give  quotations  from  some  of  these  letters, 
without  placing  them  in  their  chronological  order. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  vexed  question,  whether 
Missionaries  should  take  their  wives  with  them  to  un- 
healthy and  perilous  posts,  came  up  for  discussion.  On 
this  subject  the  Bishop's  experience  led  him  to  form  a 


Mt.  37.]  On  the  Marriage  Question.  333 

very  strong  opinion.  He  was  not  aware  at  the  time  that 
the  Sub-Committee  on  African  Missions  quite  agreed 
with  him,  and  took  his  view  of  the  matter.  The  letter 
is  given  as  eminently  characteristic: 

"  With  regard  to  the  Marriage  Question,  I  have  already 
spoken  strongly,  for  I  feel  strongly,  and  am  therefore 
prepared  to  act  somewhat  strongly  if  I  am  constrained 
to  do  so. 

"  Granted  that  the  help  of  ladies  in  every  station  would 
be  of  very  great  advantage,  I  am  certain  that  we  are  not 
yet  sufficiently  advanced  for  ladies,  especially  young  mar- 
ried women,  to  enter  upon  the  work.  It  is  little  short 
of  homicide  to  permit  them  to  go  beyond  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  coast.  However,  if,  in  spite  of  your  recent 
terrible  experience,  you  feel  differently,  I  will  most 
reluctantly  consent  that  the  region  of  Usagara — /.  ^., 
Mpwapwa  or  Mamboia — be  again  tried;  but  nothing  shall 
induce  me  to  give  my  consent  that  ladies  should  attempt 
to  cross  the  Wanyamwezi  deserts  in  the  present  state  of 
the  country.  As  a  hardy,  even  somewhat  reckless,  trav- 
eller, I  shudder  at  the  idea  of  attempting  these,  by  and 

by,  myself.     With  regard  to  laymen,  as  ,  I  have  no 

legal  jurisdiction,  and  the  matter  rests  with  you  ;  but  I 
refuse  in  any  way  to  correspond  or  work  with  such, 
deeply  as  I  should  regret  it,  if  he  is  permitted  to  take  a 
young  wife  beyond  Mpwapwa. 

"  With  regard  to ,  I  have  jurisdiction  ;  and  I  re- 
fuse to  have  him  located  beyond  Mpwapwa,  or  in  any 
other  spot,  until  my  sanction  has  been  obtained.  And 
what  I  have  said  about  these  two  individual  cases  will 
apply  to  all  others  ;  that  is,  until  the  present  state  of 
things  is  changed,  and  medical  men  can  be  placed  at  the 
various  stations.     Personally  I  have  no  objection  to 


334  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

obtaining  leave  of  absence,  returning  to  England  and 
marrying,  then  leaving  his  wife  and  proceeding  to  Uyui; 

nor  to marrying  now  and  doing  the  same,  letting 

their  wives  remain  in  England  until  after  their  first  con- 
finement ;  then  I  would,  if  I  am  still  alive,  reluctantly 
consent  to  their  attempting  to  reach  so  far.    But  to  send 

young  married  women  like up  country,  where  there 

is  no  medical  aid  at  hand,  is,  if  you  will  forgive  me  for 
saying  so,  a  rash  folly,  to  which  I  will  never  consent. 

"  Had  we  time  to  write  backwards  and  forwards  on 
this  subject,  I  would  not  have  written  in  this  very  dog- 
matic and  perhaps  irritating  strain  ;  but  as  there  is  no 
time  for  correspondence,  I  think  it  better  to  let  you  know 
exactly  how  I  feel,  and  how  I  am  prepared  to  act." 

By  all  which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  good  Bishop  knew 
how  to  think  and  act  with  decision,  and  that  he  had  the 
courage  of  his  opinions.  He  continues  this  subject  in 
another  letter  as  follows: 

" 's  recent  very  severe  illness  in  her  confinement, 

and  's   case,  which    appears   to  have  been  greatly 

aggravated  by  nursing,  and  the  probable  return  of  both, 
makes  me  feel  that  it  is  my  duty  once  more  to  bring  the 
marriage  question  before  you. 

"  In  addition  to  these  two,  I  feel  that  I  cannot  but  re- 
vert to  what  I  hear  of  the  late  Mrs. here  in  Zan- 
zibar;  namely,  that  without  a  proper  nurse,  without 
either  of  them  understanding  about  such  cases,  she  was 
treated  from  a  few  rules  laid  down  in  an  old-fashioned 
book.  She  dies,  and  we  talk  about  '  the  mysteries  of 
Providence'!  It  would  surely  be  a  greater  mystery  if 
in  such  a  case  she  had  lived.     In  the  face  of  this  and 

the  other  deaths,  I  was  quite  shocked  to  hear  of 's 

proposed    marriage.      I  hear  also  of   another   married 


^t.  37.]  On  the  Marriage  Question.  335 

couple  wishing  to  go  to  Mamboia  ....  and  you  will  re- 
mind me  that  I  .  .  .  .  consented  that  such  should  go  so 
far.  Now,  however,  after  further  experience,  I  feel  that 
I  have  done  wrong  even  in  consenting  to  this.  I  there- 
fore wish  to  withdraw  my  acquiescence,  and  to  send  you 
my  more  developed  views.  Again  I  acknowledge  the 
great  help  that  Christian  ladies  are  in  all  the  stations  ; 
also  the  immense  comfort  of  their  society  to  our  isolated 
Missionaries,  and  that  their  presence  would  often  hush 
scandalous  whispers  ;  notwithstanding,  seeing  how  diffi- 
cult African  travel  is — how  inexperienced  the  newly- 
married  are — the  entire  absence  of  nurses  qualified  to 
wait  upon  Europeans — the  almost  entire  absence  of 
medical  aid — and,  above  all,  reading  in  the  cases  we 
have  had  before  us  the  unmistakable  voice  of  God — I 
feel  in  conscience  bound  to  protest  against  any  newly- 
married  ladies  being  sent  to  any  of  our  stations  be- 
yond Frere  Town,  Rabai,  and  their  immediate  neigh- 
borhood." 

In  a  succeeding  letter  he  deals  with  the  matter  in  a 
lighter  strain,  and  says: 

"With  regard  to  your  suggestion  about  a  lady-helper — 
that  is,  I  quite  believe,  what  we  want  here  ;  and  the  right 
person  would  be  of  the  greatest  assistance. 

*'  A  dash  of  the  obstetrix  would  be  exceedingly  useful, 
and  would  relieve  my  mind  very  greatly.  If  she  has  had 
no  experience  in  such  matters,  could  not  a  little  be  gained 
before  coming  out  ? 

"  P.  S. — While  I  shudder  at  the  thought  of  young  mar- 
ried women  coming  out,  I  should  gladly  welcome  a  few 
strapping  old  maids,  who  could  go  about  by  twos  even 
to  U-Ganda.     Send  out  a  dozen  to  try." 


336  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1S85. 

Another  important  letter  deals  with  the  question  of 
the  Baptism  of  Children  of  Slaves: 

"  I  find  that  the  custom  has  been  to  baptize  children 
up  to  the  age  of  eight  years,  who  have  been  received 
from  slave  dhows,  etc.  Hence  they  get  Christian  names, 
and  are,  of  course,  educated  as  far  as  is  possible  as  Chris- 
tians, and  go  out  into  the  world  as  such.  The  education 
they  receive,  good  as  it  is,  in  too  many  cases  does  not 
seem  to  lead  to  conversion  ;  and  so  these  go  forth,  some 
of  them  with  very  bad  characters,  yet  bearing  the  name 
of  Frere  Town  converts  and  Christians.  This  is,  of 
course,  the  history  of  the  Church  at  home,  and  its  bane, 
but  might  surely  be  prevented  here  without  our  being 
accused  of  being  Baptists.  Bp.  Smythies,  I  rejoice  to 
find,  feels  very  strongly  as  I  do,  and  insists  that  in  the 
churches  of  the  interior  there  shall  be  no  baptism  till 
after  conversion. 

''  You  will  understand,  of  course,  that  I  am  not  ?iow 
speaking  of  the  children  of  Christian  parents.  As  to  the 
others,  the  present  system  allows  a  number  to  go  forth 
into  the  world  as  baptized,  while  in  a  most  unsatisfac- 
tory state,  and  who  would  never  have  been  admitted  to 
baptism  had  they  been  kept  in  the  school  some  few 
years  previously. 

"  The  argument  in  favor  of  the  baptism  of  these  orphan 
children  is  that  we  Christians  then  become  their  foster- 
parents.  Yes, — but  then  they  come  to  us  not  as  infants, 
but  as  children  who  have  from  their  earliest  years  grown 
up  in  all  possible  wickedness." 

This  letter  is  very  interesting,  as  throwing  light  upon 
such  complaints  as  those  so  freely  made  by  Mr.  Johnston 
and  other  travellers  as  to  the  worthlessness  of  many  of 
the  "  Mission  boys."      The   question   propounded  is  a 


■^t.  37.]  On  the  Ordination  of  Natives.  337 

knotty  one,  but  no  doubt  some  practical  solution  will  in 
time  be  found. 

Another  letter  deals  with  the  Ordination  and  Licens- 
ing of  Catechists  : 

"  With  regard  to  the  Ordination  of  the  two  natives, 
William  Jones  and  Ishmael  Sember,  they  both  express  a 
wish  to  delay  for  another  year,  and  far  be  it  from  me  to 
thrust  them  into  office.  However,  as  far  as  I  can  dis- 
cover, their  only  reasons  appear  to  be  the  examination. 
They  dread  to  be  examined. 

"  I  find  these  two  men  in  particular  holding  services, 
preaching  on  week  days  and  Sundays,  and  preaching  at 
Frere  Town  when  there  have  been  as  many  as  four  white 
teachers  present.  William  Jones  has  also  had  entire 
spiritual  charge  of  Rabai  for  some  months;  I  feel,  there- 
fore, that  if  it  is  simply  a  matter  of  shirking  examina- 
tion I  cannot  give  way  to  it. 

"  I  feel  strongly,  too,  that  all  these  men  who  preach 
in  the  regular  Church  Services  ought  to  be  examined 
by  me,  that  I  may  judge  whether  they  are  really  fit  to 
teach. 

"I  am,  therefore,  proposing  to  examine  all  Xho^ preach- 
ers'xn  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  and  in  the  rudiments 
of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  If  I  find  them  satisfactory,  I 
will  give  them  a  license  as  lay  readers  and  helpers. 
This  examination  will  include  Jones  and  Ishmael.  If 
they  pass  this  satisfactorily,  I  shall,  if  we  really  find 
that  this  is  the  only  obstacle,  be  ready  to  extend  their 
license  to  Deacon's  Orders.  At  all  events,  I  will  sound 
them  on  the  subject." 

The  Bishop  had  a  high  opinion  of  native  capacity.    In 
a  private  letter  he  writes  :  "I  do  not  at  present  think 
that  U-Ganda  itself  wants   '  the    flood   of    Europeans  ' 
IS 


338  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

about  which  our  brethren  talk.  *  Not  by  might  nor  by 
power,  but  by  My  Spirit'  I  believe  (between  ourselves — 
whisper  it  not) — I  believe  that  with  the  present  staff  of 
natives,  Frere  Town  and  Rabai  could  be  worked  by  one 
European  effectively,  I  am  sure,  however,  unsatisfac- 
tory as  natives  often  are,  that  not  enough  is  done  to 
develop  any  of  their  powers,  except  those  which  relate 
to  laying  a  cloth.  However,  you  must  take  what  I  say 
ctim  grano — I  am  a  fresh  comer." 

The  following  extract  is  interesting,  as  throwing  some 
light  upon  the  special  difficulties  of  a  yfri'/ Bishop  in  a 
Mission  district.  Also  as  displaying  his  own  spiritual 
thoroughness,  and  discontent  with  any  reform  that 
stopped  short  of  the  actual  conversion  of  souls  to  God: 

"  I  am  almost  afraid  to  discourse  on  Frere  Town,  lest 
I  should  seem  to  throw  any  reflection  upon  the  work 
which  is  being  done.  We  have  an  admirable  secretary 
in  the  Rev. ;  still,  I  am  sure  that  there  is  an  econ- 
omy which  may  suit  the  lay  department,  but  will  not 
pay  in  the  end.  I  want  to  hear  more  about  saving  souls 
than  saving  pice.  I  want  to  see  far  more  Church  order. 
I  should  like  to  know  that  the  weeds  are  being  pulled 
out  of  the  hearts,  while  those  in  the  shambas  are  not 
permitted  to  run  wild.  I  pray  that  Mr.  England  *  may 
be  just  the  man  to  reach  the  souls  of  the  boys  in  the 
school,  for  I  do  not  see  so  many  signs  of  their  being 
reached  now  as  I  could  wish.  I  do  not  want  to  be  ex- 
travagant, but  too  much  time  can  be  spent  saving  pence, 
even  in  the  Mission  field;  so  beware  of  over-economy. 
I  have  failed  at  present,  to  get  anything  done  for  the 
first-class  boys  to  bring  them  on  to  a  higher  grade  of 
education,  and  prepare  them  for  the  Ministry,  and  for 


A  lay  schoolmaster  then  being  sent  from  home. 


JEt.  37.]  Letter  to  Mr.  Eugene  Stock.  339 

school  teaching,  or  the  medical  profession.  Surely,  if  a 
native  Ministry  is  to  be  raised  up,  something  of  this 
kind  should  be  done.  At  present,  even  the  best  teachers 
are  kept  at  table  dusting,  etc.,  which,  however  good  for 
their  morals,  is  not,  I  think,  the  education  to  aim  at. 
Economy  in  this  direction  will  never  pay  in  the  end.  I 
shall  point  out  these  things  to  Mr.  England,  if  I  see 
him  when  he  arrives." 

The  Bishop  concludes  his  letter  as  follows  : 

"  I  do  hope  you  will  not  think  that  I  am  writing  in 
the  spirit  of  bitterness.  These  men  that  I  have  written 
about  in  an  apparent  spirit  of  complaint  have  far  more 
excellencies  than  shortcomings.  I  only  wish  that  your 
poor  little  bishop  possessed  many  of  their  good  qual- 
ities." 

The  following  letter  to  Mr.  Eugene  Stock  is  full  of 
specimens  of  Hannington's  own  style  when  writing  to 
his  intimate  friends.  But  beneath  his  comic  descriptions 
of  himself  as  boiling  over  with  passion  while  he  brand- 
ishes his  "  rancorous  pen,"  one  can  read  his  intense  love 
for  the  country  of  his  adoption,  and  his  devotion  to  his 
work:  * 

"  My  dear  Stock, — I  am  not  certain  whether  you  have 
thrown  me  overboard  altogether,  on  account  of  my  per- 
verse signature.!  I  give  you  credit,  however,  for  being 
nearly  driven  to  death  during  the  last  month  or  two, 
and  so  have  had  to  pass  me  by.  I  wish  friends  would 
give  me  credit  for  being  overdriven  sometimes.     They 

*  See  page  323. 

t  He  had  adopted  the  signature  James,  Bishop  of  East  Equatorial 
Africa  (or  as  he  usually  wrote  it,  Bp.  E.  Eq.  Af.),  omitting  the 
"  Hannington,"  as  he  thought  that  his  own  individuaUty  would  be 
thereby  merged  and  lost  in  his  Office,  and  in  his  work. 


340  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

won't,  however.  But  now,  before  I  take  another  plunge 
into  the  interior,  let  me  give  you  an  account  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  last  three  weeks,  and  if  you  don't  doctor 
it  up  and  use  it,  at  least  get  it  into  something  for  me, 
for  we  must  keep  ourselves  before  the  public*  I  am 
simply  boiling  over  with  passion  at  the  gross  neglect  of 
East  Africa  at  the  May  Meeting.  Does  such  a  place 
exist  in  the  mind  of  the  Committee?  If  it  ever  had 
entered  my  head  that  no  representation  was  to  be  made, 
I  believe  I  should  have  slipped  home  the  night  before, 
and  back  again  the  following  day,  had  it  only  been  to 
have  shouted,  'East  Equatorial  Africa  needs  your  prayers  !' 
I  don't  regard  a  stupid  little  notice  in  the  Report  about 
myself  as  anything  at  all.  Men  in  England  do  not 
realize  how  desperately  hard  the  battle  has  to  be  fought 
out  here. 

"  I  am  in  a  capital  temper  with  Lang's  last  letters  to 
Handford  and  myself.  Things  have  been  going  on  very 
nicely  between  us  lately.  May  the  brethren  who  are 
coming  out  impart  to  us  many  rich  spiritual  blessings. 
I  hope  dear  sister  Maria  and  her  boys  are  progressing. 
Just  as  I  write,  the  girls  in  the  school  have  struck  up 
the  Vesper  Hymn,  and  warmed  my  soul,  when  I  think 
that  here,  too,  we  are  fellow-laborers  with  her  and  other 
dear  Christians.     Striving  together  for  the  Faith. 

"  One  more  thrust  from  my  rancorous  pen  and  I  have 
done.  Letters  from  Salisbury  Square  are  so  awfully 
official  and  full  of  business,  that  we  are  all  complaining 
we  find  no  spiritual  lozenges  to  revive  us.  Would  not 
some  dear  Christian  soul  in  the  Committee  undertake 
to  write  us  religious  letters,  and  enclose  little  leaflets 

*  This  was  accompanied  by  a  long  MS.,  containing  an  account 
of  a  missionary  journey. 


JEt.  37.]        Africa  must  be   Won  for  Christ.  341 

and  choice  crumbs — inquire  after  our  souls,  and  drav/ 
out  the  depths  of  our  heart.  Ask  for  a  volunteer  for  E. 
Eq.  Africa,  and  I  am  certain  he  will  be  greatly  appreci- 
ated. If  business  expels  religious  intercourse  in  letters 
between  father  and  son  (Cust  says  the  relationship  is 
parental,  as  you  provide  us  with  false  teeth),  woe,  woe  ! 
death  in  the  pot. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  much  more  to  say  on 
paper :  should  I  not  like  an  hour  or  two  with  you  in  the 
little  study  in  Milner  Square!  Did  I  tell  you  that  the 
Sultan,  through  Sir  John,  had  offered  Mbaruk  400  dollars 
a  year  and  a  shamba  in  Zanzibar.  This  he  declined.  1 
have  other  terms  to  suggest,  and  I  hope  that  I  may  be 
the  means  of  getting  him  out  of  FuUadoyo  and  occupy- 
ing the  land.*  I  am  rather  expecting  a  fearful  rebuke 
from  Salisbury  Square,  and  a  warning  not  to  meddle 
with  other  men's  matters,  and  not  to  rush  hither  and 
thither,  but  to  settle  into  a  confirming  machine.  But 
Africa  must  be  won  for  Christ. 

"  Yea,  I  believe  at  this  time  '  shall  the  present  be  brought 
unto  the  Lord  of  a  people  scattered  and  peeled^  and  from  a 
people  terrible  from  their  beginning  hitherto.'  And  so  I  go 
forward,  the  Lord  being  my  helper,  to  endeavor  to  open 
up  the  country  of  the  Masai. — Affect'ly  yours, 

"James,  Bp.  E.  Eq.  Afr. 

"  *  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ? '"  f 

Thus  many  matters  are  discussed  with  the  Committee 
of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  various  members 
of  it — some  lightly,  some  gravely,  but  all  with  a  good- 
humored  insistence,  which  reveals  at  the  same  time  the 

*  See  page  375. 

t  He  almost  always  wrote  a  motto,  or  watchword,  at  the  foot  of 
his  letters. 


342  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 


loving  nature  of  the  man,  and  the  hold  which  his  work 
had  taken  upon  his  heart.    Writing  to  a  friend,  he  says  : 

"  I  feel  daily  my  own  awful  imperfections  and  short- 
comings. Why  did  they  make  me  a  Bishop  ?  Have 
they  not — are  they  not,  bitterly  repenting  it  ? "  But 
immediately  his  heart  is  lifted  up,  and  he  cries,  "  Has 
not  our  loving  Father  been  gracious  to  me  !  Oh,  for  a 
heart  to  praise  my  God  !  " 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE    KILIMA-NJARO    EXPEDITION. VISIT    TO    CHAGGA 

(1885.       MARCH,    APRIL.) 

"  The  tartarous  moods  of  common  men." 

Ben  Jonson. 

"  1  am  being  taught  never  to  be  disappointed,  but  to  Praise." 

Bishop  Hannington. 

"  But  ever  at  each  period 
He  stopped  and  sang  '  Praise  God  ! ' 
Then  back  again  his  curls  he  threw, 
And  cheerful  turned  to  work  anew." 

RoBT,  Browning. 

Bishop  Hannington  had  not  been  long  at  Frere  Town 
before  he  was  called  upon  to  consider  the  condition  of 
Taita,  which  was  then  his  furthest  advanced  post  along 
that  route  westward.  The  Mission  Station  at  Taita  is 
planted  upon  the  lofty  mountain  Ndara,  and  is  separated 
from  the  coast  by  some  two  hundred  miles  *  of  difficult 
and  dangerous  desert.  Mr.  Wray,  who  had  the  honor  of 
being  the  pioneer  thus  far  into  the  wilderness,  had  gath- 
ered around  him  a  number  of  learners  ;  but  his  position 
had  lately  become  very  critical,  owing  to  a  prolonged 
famine  which  was  devastating  the  whole  surrounding 
country,  and  had  brought  down  the  anger  of  the  tribes 
upon  his  head,  as  the  possible  cause  of  it.  Mr.  Wray's 
little  flock  in  Ndara  suffered  terribly  from  the  general 

*  Comp.  Mr.  Thomson's  estimate  of  the  distance  which  is  added 
to  the  absolute  mileage  in  a  straight  line  from  Mombasa  by  the 
windings  of  the  desert  path. —  Through  Masai  La?td,  p.  188. 

(343) 


344  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

want.  Great  efforts  were  made  to  send  up  supplies  of 
food  from  Frere  Town,  and  many  lives  were  thus  saved  ; 
but,  owing  to  the  distance  and  the  necessity  of  crossing 
the  horrible,  waterless  desert  of  Taro,  the  difficulty  of 
sending  caravans  was  immense. 

Bishop  Hannington  determined  that  he  would  himself 
go  to  the  front,  and  be  guided  in  his  future  action  by 
what  he  saw  there.  He  therefore  lost  no  time,  but  made 
up  a  caravan  of  porters,  and  sending  them  forward  to 
Bandera,  at  the  head  of  the  creek,  joined  them  on  Feb- 
ruary 25th.  From  Bandera  a  steep  ascent  of  an  hour 
and  a  half  brought  them  to  the  pretty  Mission  Station 
of  Rabai.  Here  the  people  were  expecting  the  Bishop, 
and  a  tumultuous  welcome  awaited  him.  The  firing  of 
guns,  and  the  dancing  and  shouting  of  the  excited  na- 
tives, continued  without  intermission  from  six  o'clock 
until  ten.  The  Bishop  says:  "I  joined  in  one  of  the 
dances — a  kind  of  puss-in-the-corner-drop-handkerchief 
— to  the  intense  delight  of  the  natives.  Henceforth  we 
are  friends." 

The  next  morning,  Thursday,  the  native  catechist, 
Mr.  Jones,  whom  he  afterwards  ordained,  preached  to  a 
densely  crowded  congregation.  We  may  quote  here  a 
passage  from  Mr.  Thomson  :  "  I  arrived  while  service 
Vi^as  being  conducted  by  Mr.  Jones,  the  native  teacher. 
Not  to  disturb  the  meeting,  I  stepped  in  behind  the 
gathering,  and  was  greatly  struck  by  the  appearance  of 
the  well-filled  church,  the  strict  attention  of  the  audi- 
ence (who  were  all  dressed  in  the  height  of  Rabai  fash- 
ion), and  the  fluency  of  the  preacher."  The  Bishop  was 
also  most  favorably  impressed  by  the  appearance  of 
everything  at  Rabai.  He  spent  his  time  there  very 
busily  in  completing  his  preparations  for  the  march 
into  the  interior.     The  following  jottings  appear  in  his 


^t.  37.]  Welcome  at  Rabai.  345 

pocket-book  :  "  Made  my  boys,  Robert  Livingstone  and 
Legh  Richmond,  wash,  giving  them  a  lesson  in  the  art. 
....  Grand  cooking  preparations.  I  give  a  feast  to- 
day, at  which  I  expect  about  six  hundred  guests 

Our  boys,  to  my  bitter  disappointment,  caught  stealing. 
I  tied  up  all  four  to  separate  posts,  in  sight  of  the  feast, 
for  the  rest  of  the  day  ;  but  it  pained  me  more  than  it 
did  them.  About  twelve  the  feast  began  in  earnest,  and 
at  about  five  o'clock  the  dances  artd  drums.  I  joined  a 
little  in  most  of  the  dances,  some  of  which  are  very  gro- 
tesque, and  it  gave  the  people  more  satisfaction  than 
anything  else.  The  boys  were  released  earlier  than  I 
had  at  first  intended,  my  heart  relenting — and  the  next 
morning  they  stole  the  sugar.  One  whom  I  believe  to 
be  at  the  bottom  of  all  this  mischief  is  to  be  left  behind. 
He  is  not  my  own  boy,  but  was  brought  at  Handford's 
request. 

*'  Sunday,  March  1st. — I  preached  from  the  text,  '  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? '  Jones  interpreting.  The  church 
was  quite  full,  many  sitting  outside.  Holy  Communion 
afterwards  to  thirty-four.  Fifty  candidates  are  being 
prepared  for  Confirmation. 

"At  the  afternoon  Service  Jones  preached  from  the 
i2ist  Psalm.  It  being  my  travelling  Psalm,  I  take  it  as 
a  good  omen. 

^^  March  2d. — Just  off  in  excellent  health  and  spirits. 
'  I  will  go  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord.'  " 

The  Bishop  continues  :  "  By  two  o'clock  all  was  ready, 
so  we  knelt  all  together  in  prayer,  and  then,  with  no 
slight  emotion,  forced  our  way  through  the  little  knots 
of  friends  and  wives  who  had  come  to  bid  us  and  our 
porters — their  relatives  and  husbands — good-bye.  We 
mustered  about  a  hundred,  as  we  had  to  carry  with  us  a 
15* 


34^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

month's  food  for  the  starving  Wa-Taita,  in  addition  to 
our  own  goods.  The  heat  was  intense,  and  nearly  made 
me  sick  ;  the  sun  almost  seemed  to  bake  one  alive." 

Mr.  Handford  went  with  the  Bishop.  Soon  they  left 
behind  them  "  the  cocoa-crowned  heights,  the  verdant 
ridges — with  their  stern,  sentinel-like  fan-palms — and 
the  cultivated  outer  slopes,  and  plunged  into  the  Nyika, 
or  wilderness,  beyond."  Soon  all  verdure  vanished,  and 
their  route  lay  through  a  land  of  desolation  and  sterility; 
an  hour  or  so  more,  and  the  glaring  red  sands  of  the 
coast  hills  were  passed,  and  they  entered  a  more  promis- 
ing region,  a  grazing  country,  where  were  "  dense  masses 
of  evergreen  trees,  festooned  with  creepers,  and  inter- 
sected by  green,  grassy  glades,  made  gay  with  beautiful 
orchids."  The  Bishop  makes  no  special  complaint,  but 
during  this  first  day's  march  the  porters  are  usually  very 
troublesome.*  Mr.  Thomson  says  that  the  experience 
of  this  first  day  "  lowered  the  level  of  his  enthusiasm 
more  than  anything  that  had  yet  occurred."  No  doubt 
the  Mission  party  had  their  troubles.  However,  Han- 
nington says  :  "  After  marching  till  sunset,  we  suddenly 
came  upon  an  open  glade  in  the  forest,  and  camped. 
The  first  time  nothing  goes  right  ;  nobody  seems  to 
know  what  to  do,  or  where  to  go,  so  some  one  has  to 
show  them.  Gaiters,  shovel-hat,  and  apron  have  all  been 
laid  aside  for  the  journey,  and  so,  unmindful  of  dignity, 
we  rush  hither  and  thither  for  firewood,  and  light  the 
fire  ;  then  with  a  mallet,  not  without  much  shouting,  we 
manage  to  erect  the  tent ;  next  the  bed,  a  mysterious 
puzzle  which  entirely  defies  an  African  head  ;  and  so, 
pushing  one  boy  in  one  direction,  one  in  a  other,  we  do 

*  Thomson,  p.  63  ;  Johnston,  p.  48. 


Mt.  37.]  A  Plucky  Porter.  347 

the  thing  for  ourself,  and  by  eleven  o'clock  are  ready  to 
lie  down  and  get  some  rest. 

*'  Soon  after  2  a.m.  next  morning  we  began  to  get  under 
weigh,  and  started  at  4  a.m.  It  looks  well  for  us  that 
we  passed  the  spot  where  we  meant  to  halt  for  breakfast 
without  knowing  it.  At  about  9  a.m.  we  arrived  at  a 
good  big  muddy  pool,  and  halted  for  the  day  to  reorgan- 
ize. It  was  a  merciful  providence  that  we  were  led  to 
do  so,  for  the  heat  was  most  intense — the  men  simply  lay 
about  under  the  bushes  and  groaned.  As  for  myself,  1 
had  not  even  the  energy  to  get  out  my  thermometer  until 
the  cool  of  the  evening.  Even  then  it  marked  100° 
Fahrenheit. 

"  We  had  here  a  good  example  of  the  fact  thai 
Africans  can  be  plucky  sometimes,  and  will  endure 
great  hardships  for  the  sake  of  wives  and  children.  We 
were  overhauling  the  men,  that  we  might  send  back 
those  who  were  proving  themselves  unfit  for  the  march 
through  weakness  or  sickness.  One  man,  Dudu  (the 
*  Insect '),  was  reported  as  suffering  from  dysentery 
rather  seriously. 

"Said  Handford,  'You  too  will  return,  Dudu.' 

"  '  I  don't  want  to,  Bwana  ;  I  want  to  go  on.' 

"  *  You  cannot,  you  are  not  able  ;  you  must  go  back.' 

"He  still  pleaded,  'I  don't  want  to.' 

"  '  Not  another  word  ;  if  you  come  with  us  you  will 
die.     Go  ! ' 

"'Then  I  won't.' 

"  Handford  sprang  to  his  feet  at  such  an  unusual  oc- 
currence, and  the  men  standing  round  raised  an  aston- 
ished cry  of  shame  against  Dudu's  rebellion  ;  when  I 
stepped  to  the  front  and  said,  '  Let  him  come  ;  he  has 
got  some  go  in  him.' 

"  From    that    moment    Dudu    and  I  became  friends ; 


348  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885, 

but,"  adds  the  Bishop,  very  characteristically,  "  I  must 
confess  that  he  buzzed  about  me  afterwards  rather  more 
than  I  liked." 

Their  march  now  lay  through  the  sterile  land  of 
Duruma,  where  a  tribe  of  Wa-Nyika  do  their  best  to 
maintain  themselves  in  their  thorny  jungles  against 
famine  on  the  one  hand  and  Masai  raiders  on  the  other. 
Passing  through  this  region  of  spiny  aloes  and  cacti, 
they  pressed  on  through  a  sandy  desert,  and  halted  at 
the  rock  pools,  or  "  Ungurungas,"  of  Mount  Taro.  Han- 
nington writes  : 

"Arrived  at  Taro  at  7  a.m.  A  beautiful  spot — an 
oasis  in  the  desert,  with  plenty  of  water,  if  you  don't 
mind  toads  and  tadpoles  and  such-like  denizens  of  stag- 
nant pools.  We  had  not  been  long  in  camp  before  a 
native  of  a  small  neighboring  village,  somewhere  in  the 
heart  of  an  impenetrable  jungle,  crept  out  and  made  his 
way  to  my  tent,  and  implored  me  to  send  his  people  a 
teacher  and  form  a  Station  there.  If  we  did,  they  could 
live  in  peace  and  cultivate  the  ground.  Now  they  dared 
accumulate  no  possessions,  lest  they  should  excite  the 
cupidity  of  the  raiding  Wa-Kama.  These  poor  creatures 
have  to  eke  out  a  miserable  existence  on  berries,  roots, 
and  such  game  as  they  can  kill  with  poisoned  arrows. 
I  gave  him  a  small  present,  which  he  received  with  great 
suspicion. 

**  Shortly  after  this  our  porters  brought  two  Swahilis 
to  Handford,  asserting  that  they  were  sure  there  were 
slaves  close  at  hand. 

"  Some  hours  later,  a  cry  of  '  Slaves,  slaves  ! '  was 
raised,  and  off  dashed  most  of  the  men  in  the  direction 
of  the  cry.  It  appears  that  one  of  the  porters,  searching 
for  firewood,  suddenly  came  upon  a  caravan,  and  fear- 


JEt.  37.]       Advetitures  with  a  Slave  Caravan.  349 

ing  they  would  kill  him,  raised  this  shout.  Expecting 
a  hand-to-hand  fight,  away  we  dashed  after  the  men. 
Away,  too,  went  I,  in  shirt-sleeves  and  slippers,  clutch- 
ing my  gun.  The  slippers  kept  coming  off,  and  I  was 
soon  outdistanced  by  Handford.  But  it  did  not  much 
matter,  as  there  was  no  fight.  The  owners  of  the  cara- 
van decamped  when  they  saw  us  coming,  and  left  their 
slaves,  one  woman  and  seven  children,  in  the  bush.  So 
we  found  ourselves  with  eight  poor,  wretched  slaves 
upon  our  hands.  Such  pitiable  objects  they  were,  more 
than  half-starved.  We  decided  to  send  them  straight  to 
the  coast,  in  charge  of  some  men.  There  the  Consul 
freed  them,  and  they  were  received  by  the  Mission.  It 
was,  however,  too  late  ;  they  never  recovered  from  the 
cruel  treatment  they  had  received,  and  all  died  but  one. 
Since  this  our  caravans  have  liberated  two  more  gangs. 
The  Swahilis  are  so  frightened  of  being  caught  and 
handed  over  to  the  authorities,  that  they  simply  flee  and 
leave  the  slaves  behind,  so  that,  as  Sir  John  Kirk  says, 
under  such  circumstances  you  cannot  help3^ourself;  you 
must  take  possession  of  them.  We  are  quite  aware  that 
we  are  not  military  authorities  authorized  to  enforce  the 
Sultan's  laws,  and,  moreover,  that  it  is  not  our  part  as 
Missionaries  to  employ  force  ;  and  we  try  as  much  as 
possible  to  avoid  interference  with  any  passing  caravan. 
Interference,  however,  is  sometimes  thrust  upon  us. 
Would  to  God  that  we  could  overthrow  this  stronghold 
of  Satan  with  the  Sword  of  the  Spirit !  " 

The  next  march  was  through  the  dreaded  Taro  plain, 
which  stretches  almost  waterless  as  far  as  Taita.  For 
the  first  few  hours  after  leaving  Taro  the  country  is 
pleasant  enough — an  undulating,  fertile  region,  well 
wooded,  and  not  without  shade.     There  is  a  pool,  too. 


350  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

called  Ziwani,  where  a  mouthful  of  dirty  water  may  oc- 
casionally be  obtained.  After  this  an  abrupt  change 
takes  place  in  the  features  of  the  landscape.  Mr.  Thom- 
son says  :  "  The  agreeable  alternation  of  ridge  and  hol- 
low is  exchanged  for  an  apparently  dead  level  plain, 
parched  and  waterless,  as  if  no  drop  of  life-giving  rain 
refreshed  the  iron-bound  soil.  The  dense  jungle,  the 
grassy  glades,  the  open  forest,  disappear,  and  their  place 
is  taken  by  what  may  be  called  a  skeleton  forest." 

Such  trees  as  there  are,  are  almost  wholly  leafless  ; 
stern,  grey,  and  shadeless,  they  present  rigid  arms  or 
formidable  thorns  instead  of  twigs  and  foliage.  All 
green  has  vanished.  Every  sign  of  life  is  left  behind,  a 
dreary  silence  reigns  supreme  throughout  this  dreadful 
wilderness.  Mr.  Johnston,  too,  speaks  of  this  part  of  his 
march  as  ''  that  terrible  journey,"  and  tells  how,  in  the 
fierce  heat  of  that  awful  furnace,  he  and  his  men  scarce- 
ly reached  Mount  Maungu  alive. 

Let  us  see  how  the  Bishop  and  his  party  crossed  this 
land  of  death. 

"  On  the  morrow  we  started  for  the  dreaded  Taro 
plain  ;  nor  did  we  make  a  very  happy  commencement, 
for,  soon  after  leaving  camp,  down  came  the  rain  in  a 
perfect  deluge,  so  that  in  a  short  time  the  ground  was 
covered  with  an  inch  or  two  of  water.  Cloth,  rice,  and 
other  loads  were  soaked,  and  their  weight  much  in- 
creased for  the  poor  men.  We  did  not  find  the  right 
track  until  nightfall.  We  then  halted  to  wait  for  the 
moon,  and  meanwhile  lighted  a  huge  fire,  at  which  we 
soon  dried  most  of  our  things  ;  then,  without  pitching 
tents,  we  snatched  an  hour  or  two  of  sleep  in  the  open. 
At  I  A.M.  we  made  a  move,  and  in  about  two  hours 
Handford  and   I  reached  water.     But  where  were  the 


JEt.  37.]  Crossing  a  Land  of  Death.  351 

men  ?  They  had,  it  appeared,  allowed  us  to  go  on,  and 
then  had  lighted  fires  and  laid  them  down  to  sleep  again. 
Finding  that  they  were  not  coming,  I  rolled  myself  up 
in  a  canvas  cover,  and  withdrew  a  little  apart  from  the 
others,  who  were  talking,  in  order  to  get  a  nap.  Pres- 
ently, just  before  I  fell  asleep,  I  was  roused  by  the  loud 
growl  of  a  lion  quite  close  at  hand,  so  I  took  up  my  bed 
and  went  closer  to  the  fire.  At  1 1  a.m.  we  started  again 
and  walked  till  nightfall.  Had  to  camp  without  water. 
Off  again  at  2  a.m.,  and  by  9  a.m.  we  reached  Maungu, 
after  one  of  the  most  trying  marches  I  ever  remember. 
The  road  is  most  dismal.  It  passes  through  closely- 
packed  thorn  bushes,  under,  over,  or  through  which  you 
have  to  go.  They  tear  your  clothes  and  flesh,  without 
affording  a  particle  of  shade.  You  can  only  see  a  few 
yards  ahead,  and  the  dead-looking  forest  is  so  monoton- 
ous that  I  can  recall  scarcely  any  special  spot  or  feature 
as  a  way-mark.  I  retched  with  the  intense  heat.  The 
sun  literally  seemed  to  bake  one  through.  At  Maungu 
the  men  had  to  climb  nearly  2,000  feet  before  they 
reached  the  water.  I  had  a  slight  touch  of  sun  fever, 
but  on  we  must  go,  so  at  4  p.m.  we  started  again  and 
walked  till  sunset.  Again  we  camped  without  water. 
How  little  we  appreciate  our  comforts  at  home — the 
blessing  of  a  wash,  for  instance.  No  water  means  almost 
no  wash.  Being  an  old  traveller  I  meet  the  difficulty  by 
filling  my  sponge  before  starting,  and  tying  it  tightly  in 
its  bag.  If  we  have  two  days  without  water,  the  first 
day  I  have  what  a  school-boy  would  call  a  '  lick  and  a 
promise';  then  the  second  day  I  wring  out  the  water, 
and  get  quite  a  brave  wash,  the  water  afterwards  com- 
ing in  for  the  dog  and  the  donkey. 

''  Another  night's  march  brought  us   to   the  foot  of 
Taita  Hill.    But  what  a  climb  !    Three  thousand  feet  of 


352  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

steep,  rugged  road  has  to  be  dealt  with  as  best  one  can, 
on  hands  and  knees  sometimes.  The  gneiss  rocks  which 
jutted  out  gave  a  very  poor  hold.  How  tired  I  was  ! 
The  natives  choose  the  fastnesses  for  a  double  reason. 
They  are  excellent  places  from  which  to  pounce  down 
upon  the  weak,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  a 
natural  fortress  against  the  strong.  After  about  a 
thousand  feet  of  climbing  we  came  upon  villages,  but 
everywhere  deserted.  What  had  once  been  banana 
groves  and  plantations  are  now  patches  of  rank  grass 
and  ill  weeds. 

"We  found  Mr.  Wray  in  a  state  of  semi-siege.  The 
Wa-Kamba  had  attacked  and  burned  villages  in  sight  of 
him,  and  for  two  days  he  and  his  people  had  been  on 
guard,  fearing,  I  think  needlessly,  that  they  might  be 
stormed.  Our  arrival  was  a  great  relief  to  him,  the 
more  so  as  we  brought  the  much  needed  food." 

The  mountains  of  Taita  rise  to  between  five  and  six 
thousand  feet  above  the  plain.  Mr.  Thomson  says  : 
"  The  whole  appearance  of  the  Taita  highlands  is  strik- 
ingly suggestive  of  an  archipelago  of  islands,  rising  with 
great  abruptness  from  a  greyish  green  sea,  as  the  great 
weird  plain,  already  described,  surrounds  it  on  all  sides." 
About  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  up  the  side  of 
Mount  Ndara  is  the  Mission  Station.  There  Mr.  Wray 
was  bravely  holding  the  fort  in  spite  of  the  difficulties 
which  beset  him.  The  people  were  dying  of  starvation, 
and  inclined  to  curse  him  as  the  evil  author  of  their 
troubles  ;  but  he  had,  nevertheless,  won  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  those  with  whom  he  was  able  to  come 
into  contact.     The  Bishop  writes  of  him  : 

"Corn  in  the  ear  he  cannot  point  to,  but  I  found  that 
he  had  broken  up  an  unusually  hard  fallow,  and  sown 


JEt.  37.]  Famine  at   Taita.  353 

the  seed  of  which  the  blade  already  begins  to  appear. 
He  is  much  attached  to  the  people.  This  being  the  case, 
and  the  station  being  a  valuable  link  in  a  line  of  stations, 
one  would  make  every  effort  to  keep  it  going.  Yet  the 
famine  presses  hard.  In  spite  of  our  supplies  of  food, 
many  have  died,  many  have  left,  and  many  have  been 
killed  or  captured  and  sold  for  slaves.  Thus,  all  the 
villages,  except  those  immediately  under  Mr.  Wray's 
wing,  are  utterly  abandoned.  The  people  around  him 
number  less  than  a  hundred.  These  I  assembled  to 
hear  their  opinion  upon  the  situation.  They  were  most 
decided.  *  We  do  not  wish  to  desert  Bwana,  but  v/e  can- 
not stop  here.  Sometimes  you  feed  us,  sometimes  you 
do  not,  and  then  we  have  to  return  to  eating  grass  and 
insects.  Not  one  neighbor  have  we  left.  Even  if  you 
gave  us  seed  to-morrow,  it  would  be  four  months  before 
we  could  get  any  food.'  It  seemed  then  to  all  of  us  that, 
in  the  face  of  this,  the  station  could  not  be  continued. 
With  so  many  demands  for  missionaries  from  populous 
districts,  and  when,  too,  these  few  families  could  be  bet- 
ter and  at  far  less  expense  cared  for  at  Rabai,  it  appear- 
ed a  waste  of  men  and  means  to  let  Mr.  Wray  continue 
here.  I  therefore  arranged  that  they  should  be  received 
at  Rabai,  and  the  native  catechist,  Cicil  Mabaruki,  who 
has  been  under  Mr.  Wray,  and  of  whom  he  speaks  very 
highly,  will  be  specially  told  ott  to  look  after  them.  If 
the  mountain  should  again  be  populated,  there  will  be 
nothing  to  prevent  us  from  again  taking  possession  of 
the  same  site  at  any  time." 

"  Feb.  loth  saw  us  on  the  move  again,  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Wray.  The  descent  on  the  west  side  of  Taita 
Hill  we  found  to  be  much  steeper,  but  shorter  and  less 
fatiguing  than  that  on  the  east.  At  one  part  the  track 
led  over  a  smooth,  steeply  sloping  rock,  over  which  it 


354  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

was  almost  impossible  to  get  the  donkeys.  One  of  them 
was  rather  badly  hurt.  When  we  reached  the  bottom, 
the  arms  of  the  great  plain  which  thrusts  itself  in  be- 
tween the  two  Taitas  had  to  be  crossed,  and  on  the  mor- 
row, after  forcing  our  way  through  a  terrible  thicket, 
through  which  the  men  with  great  difficulty  got  their 
loads,  we  encamped  near  a  Wa-Kamba  village.  We  fired 
our  guns,  and  the  men  rushed  out.  These  are  the  peo- 
ple who  have  so  cruelly  ravaged  Sagalla  (Wray's  moun- 
tain), but  they  were  friendly  enough  to  us,  and  here  we 
spent  our  first  *  money,'  and  for  a  little  cloth  bought 
some  heads  of  Indian  corn. 

'■'■Feb.  12th. — A  day  to  be  remembered.  I  must  rank 
it  among  the  red-letter  days  of  my  traveller's  experience. 
I  led  the  caravan  out  at  4.30,  and  got  off  clear,  but  Hand- 
ford,  who  brought  up  the  rear,  met  with  some  opposi- 
tion and  demands  for  hongo  (here  called  '  fingo  ').  One 
of  the  village  elders  blocked  his  path,  and  tried  to  extort 
a  tribute.  After  a  short  climb  over  a  steep  and  rugged 
track,  we  rounded  the  headland  of  the  Bura  Mountain, 
and  crossed  the  beautiful  pass  of  Kilima  Kibomu.  As 
we  topped  a  rise,  suddenly  before  our  astonished  gaze 
flashed  Kilima-njaro  in  all  his  glory  !  How  lovely  the 
great  mountain  looked — all  radiant  with  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun.  We  had,  by  the  best  fortune,  arrived  at  this 
point  of  vantage  just  at  the  hour  of  sunrise,  when  the 
vast  silver  dome  for  a  short  time  shakes  aside  the  mist 
wreaths  which  during  the  rest  of  the  day  so  frequently 
enswathe  his  snow-crowned  summit.  From  where  we 
stood,  and  at  this  distance,  the  two  peaks — the  dome- 
shaped  Kibo  and  the  needle-pointed  Kimawenzi — were 
merged  into  one  ;  and  only  with  the  glass  could  I  dis- 
tinguish their  different  outlines.  The  sight  was  so  sur- 
passingly beautiful  that  it  called  forth  long  and  loud 


^t.  37.]  The  Dreaded  Hongo.  355 

exclamations  from  the  stolid  Africans  around  us,  many 
of  whom  had  accompanied  Thomson  or  Johnston,  some 
both,  and  who  were  well  acquainted  with  the  snow- 
giant.  That  an  African  should  exclaim,  or  even  take 
note  of  any  natural  scene,  however  grand,  is  something 
quite  uncommon  ;  but  now  all,  black  and  white  alike, 
were  in  ecstasy  at  the  magnificence  and  beauty  of  the 
sight.  We  at  once  called  a  halt,  and,  as  long  as  time 
permitted,  we  feasted  our  eyes  on  snow  under  the  burn- 
ing sun  of  Africa. 

"  Too  soon  we  had  to  resume  our  weary  march,  and 
descending  the  pass  we  came  to  the  dreaded  hongo  station 
of  the  Kilima.  We  met  with  a  little  braggadocio  on  the 
part  of  one  gentleman,  who  even  threatened  to  kill  any 
stragglers  we  might  leave  behind  ;  but  we  told  him  that 
we  did  not  mean  to  leave  any,  and  very  placidly  wished 
him  good-morning,  and  passed  on,  in  spite  of  his  war-cry 
and  endeavor  to  raise  the  country  against  us.  At  the 
next  village,  Burra,  passing  a  foot-track  which  led  in 
the  wrong  direction,  I,  according  to  custom,  drew  a  line 
across  it  with  my  stick,  as  a  signal  to  those  behind  not 
to  go  that  way.  An  old  woman  who  happened  to  be 
standing  on  the  path  was  seized  with  a  paroxysm  of  ter- 
ror. She  was  fully  persuaded  that  I  had  done  this  to 
bewitch  her,  and  raised  the  most  fearful  shrieks,  calling 
on  all  around  to  kill  me.  Through  the  woods  and  over 
the  hills  rang  her  shrill  cries,  so,  as  we  could  not  in  any 
way  pacify  her,  and  not  knowing  what  might  come  of  it, 
we  left  her  screaming  and  hurriedly  passed  on. 

"  We  were  now  on  the  verge  of  the  vast  and  almost 
waterless  plain  which  lies  between  Taita  and  Taveta,  and 
we  were  warned  to  expect  no  water  for  at  least  two  days. 
So  accordingly,  we  started,  prepared  for  the  worst.  This 
plain  exactly  fulfils  the  idea  which  I  had  formed  of  an 


35^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

African  plain  from  pictures  and  descriptions  before  I 
visited  the  country.  It  is  covered  with  game  of  all 
kinds.  Herds  of  inquisitive  zebra  came  barking  and 
galloping  past  to  inspect  the  caravan;  hartebeeste,  eland, 
springbuck,  and  other  antelopes  were  to  be  seen  every- 
where. The  long  necks  of  giraffe  issued,  serpent-like, 
from  the  grass  ;  and  in  the  dusk  one  could  hear  the  deep 
roaring  of  lions  over  their  meal.  Thus  the  attention  was 
always  held  occupied  by  some  new  or  interesting  sight, 
and  minutes  imperceptibly  grew  into  hours,  so  that  many 
an  otherwise  weary  mile  was  passed  swiftly  by.  More- 
over, travelling  was  becoming  far  easier  and  more  pleas- 
ant to  me  as  I  got  into  training.  Here,  too,  at  this 
altitude,  the  air  was  much  cooler — even  cold  at  night. 
At  one  spot  we  came  upon  a  fire,  round  which  was  seated 
a  group  of  starving  Wa-Taita,  endeavoring  to  struggle 
on  to  the  more  fertile  districts  that  surround  the  moun- 
tain. They  had  already  abandoned  one  woman  and 
child.  The  mother  was  dead,  but  the  child  we  enabled 
them  to  rescue  by  giving  them  food  and  encouraging 
them  to  return  and  search  for  it.  Soon  afterwards  we 
came,  quite  unexpectedly,  upon  water.  So  the  plain 
was  passed  without  any  difficulty.  The  men  found  the 
carcase  of  an  antelope,  upon  half  of  which  a  lion  had 
breakfasted  ;  over  this  they  were  soon  quarrelling  and 
feasting. 

"  On  Saturday,  Feb.  14,  the  dark  green  shades  of 
Taveta  began  to  be  visible,  and  soon  we  entered  a  dense 
forest,  through  which  we  crept  mysteriously,  and  on  tip- 
toe, lest  the  inhabitants  should  hear  us  and  shut  the  gates 
against  us,  refusing  to  open  them  until  a  heavy  hongo 
had  been  paid.  With  bated  breath  we  crept  along  ;  so 
absorbed  were  we  that  I  almost  forgot  to  taste  a  new 
kind  of  fruit  which  hung  overhead,  and  Handford  forgot 


JEt.  s7.]  Taveta.  357 

to  look  where  he  was  treading,  and  so  fell  headlong  over 
a  stump  !  (If  we  could  have  exchanged  memories  for 
the  time,  we  should  both  have  been  better  off.)  Present- 
ly we  arrived  at  the  tunnel-like  portal,  so  low  that  only 
on  hands  and  knees  can  admission  be  gained,  while  some 
of  the  loads  had  to  be  coaxed  through  ;  but  to  our  joy 
the  door  was  open,  so  we  could  easily  afford  to  stoop.  I 
found  out  afterwards  that  all  our  fuss  was  so  much  waste 
of  energy.  Confidence  in  the  white  man  has  been  fully 
established  here.  I  do  not  think  they  would  keep  one 
waiting  outside  for  a  single  instant.  The  people  re- 
ceived us  in  the  most  friendly  manner. 

"  Next  morning,  on  waking,  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
magnificent  forest,  honeycombed  with  luxuriant  gardens 
of  maize,  Indian  corn,  and  broad-leaved  banana-trees. 
The  people  are  peculiarly  gentle  and  taking  in  manner 
and  conversation.  The  description  of  Laish  (Judges 
xviii.)  seems  to  me  exactly  to  suit  them  :  '  They  dwelt 
careless^  quiet,  and  secure  j  a?id  there  was  no  magistrate  in  the 
land  to  put  them  to  shame.'  Usually  this  would  be  a  land 
of  plenty,  but  this  terrible  famine  has  driven  a  large 
number  of  starving  neighbors  within  their  bounds,  and 
the}'  too  are  feeling  the  pinch. 

"  One  thing  we  were  all  agreed  upon — this  is  not  the 
place  for  a  European  Missionary.  Travellers  who  recom- 
mend it  have  probably  not  seen  it  as  we  did,  in  the  depth 
of  the  rainy  season,  when  the  rich,  black,  vegetable  soil 
constantly  exudes  poisonous  vapors.  The  forest  is  so 
dense  that  it  almost  excludes  the  refreshing  breezes, 
and  so  overshadows  the  open  spaces  and  plantations 
that  large  parts  of  them  are  constantly  wet.  Both  going 
and  coming,  Mr.  Wray  had  attacks  of  fever  here,  and  I 
had  what  might  be  called  a  loud  warning  ;  so  that, 
beautiful  as  the  place  is  in  many  respects,  we  were  un- 


358  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

commonly  glad  to  be  out  of  it,  and  to  find  ourselves,  on 
March  the  17th,  e7t  route  for  Chagga.*  Martin,  who  was 
with  Thomson,  told  me  that  Taveta  was  the  only  place 
where  he  was  ill." 

During  the  three  days  spent  in  Taveta,  the  Bishop  lost 
no  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  place  with  a  view  to 
future  Missionary  work.  He  also  did  some  business  in 
behalf  of  Mr.  Johnston,  leader  of  the  recent  Kilima-njaro 
expedition,  and,  in  accordance  with  a  request  from  the 
Consul,  settled  up  Mr.  Johnston's  affairs,  and  paid  off 
his  men. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  17th,  messengers  arrived  from 
Mandara  with  an  ox  as  a  present  from  the  king.  So 
they  started.  "  Just  as  we  approached  our  sleeping- 
place,  a  rhinoceros  strolled  leisurely  away,  I  suppose  to 
make  room  for  us,  and  I  think  he  was  wise." 

The  next  morning  they  breasted  the  steep  ascent  to 
Chagga.  *'  Kilima-njaro,  with  his  two  peaks,  Kibo  and 
Kimawenzi,  were  magnificently  in  view  in  the  early 
dav/n,  and  remained  so  about  long  enough  for  me  to 
sketch  them  ;  then,  as  usual,  they  were  again  veiled  in 
clouds.  Herds  of  buffalo  and  large  game  appeared 
quite  close  to  us,  but  we  could  not  then  stalk  them. 
As  we  approached  Moschi  the  men  became  very  excited. 
We  fired  the  royal  salute  which  this  august  monarch 
rigidly  exacts  from  his  guests,  and  were  answered  by  a 
salvo  from  his  two  cannon.  It  was  quite  night  (8  p.m.) 
before  we  crossed  the  beautiful  valley  which  separates 
the  outer  world  from  Moschi  ;  however,  to  my  great 
surprise,  we  were  ushered  at  once  into  Mandara's  pres- 

*  The  whole  highland  district  on  the  southern  and  eastern  spurs 
of  Kilima-njaro  is  called  Chagga.  It  is  occupied  by  several  tribes, 
of  which  Mandara's  is  the  most  powerful. 


fr^' 


-^t.  37.]  Interview  with  Mandara.  359 

ence.  If  first  impressions  are  to  be  trusted  we  shall  get 
on.  I  was  very  favorably  struck,  not  only  with  his  gen- 
eral appearance,  but  also  by  his  kindliness  of  manner 
and  intelligence.  The  interview  was  a  short  one  ;  we 
craved  no  more  than  to  be  allowed  to  seek  our  respect- 
ive couches. 

^^ March  iqth. — We  had  one  of  those  drenching  nights 
with  which  one  sometimes  meets  in  Africa.  We  could 
not  pitch  our  tents  till  late,  and  then  had  no  time  to  dig 
trenches  round  them.  Consequently  the  water  rushed 
through  the  tents  in  torrents.  As  the  men  and  boys  had 
no  shelter  of  any  kind,  I  invited  as  many  as  possible  into 
my  tent,  which  is  a  very  small  one.  We  managed  to 
squeeze  in,  however,  myself,  two  on  the  floor,  another 
curled  up  on  the  foot  of  my  camp-bed,  and  Pinto,  my 
invaluable  coolie,  in  the  chair.  Presently  I  heard  an 
ominous  sound  and  shouts  for  help.  Handford's  tent 
was  laid  flat.  Thus,  between  one  thing  and  another, 
our  first  night  on  the  slopes  of  Kilima-njaro  was  not  a 
pleasant  one.  However,  I  rose  before  daylight  and 
made  certain  preparations,  for  I  had  my  suspicions, 
which  proved  to  be  true,  that  dawn  would  bring  the 
roseate  Mandara  (he  wears  a  rosy-red  robe).  Sure 
enough  there  he  was,  with  about  twenty  warriors,  all 
stark  naked,  fine  athletic  young  men  of  one  of  the  Masai 
clans,  and  looking  fierce  enough  to  frighten  one  out  of 
his  wits.  I  presented  Mandara  with  a  box  and  uniform, 
which  he  received  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  nor 
did  he  ask  to  see  a  single  thing  in  the  tent,  though  I 
thought  his  one  bright  eye  roved  about  in  rather  a 
restless  manner.     '  Wait,'  said  I,  '  he  will  develop.' 

"After  breakfast  we  returned  his  visit,  and  received 
the  present  of  a  goat  and  cow.  We  then  cautiously  un- 
folded the  objects  of  our  visit.     The  same  caution  was 


360  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

strictly  observed  on  his  part.  The  sum  of  what  he  said 
is  the  echo  of  almost  every  chief's  voice  in  Africa,  '  I 
want  guns  and  gunpowder,  and  if  I  can't  have  them,  the 
next  best  thing  is  a  white  teacher  to  live  in  the  land.'  " 

Those  who  have  read  Mr.  Johnston's  most  interesting 
book  on  the  Kilima-njaro  expedition  will  scarcely  be 
surprised  to  hear  that  Mandara  did  not  appreciate  the 
manner  in  which  that  explorer  had  taken  leave  of  him. 
Mr.  Johnston's  subterfuge  extricated  him  from  a  serious 
difficulty,  but  did  not  tend  to  make  matters  easy  for 
any  European  who  should  come  after  him.  Mandara's 
own  provoking  conduct,  no  doubt,  made  some  excep- 
tional measure  on  Mr.  Johnston's  part  necessary,  but  he 
none  the  less  resented  the  method  of  his  escape.  He 
complained  bitterly  to  Bishop  Hannington  of  the  treat- 
ment to  which  he  had  been  subjected,  and  said  that 
after  his  recent  experience  of  white  men,  he  did  not 
much  wish  to  have  another,  though  he  would  receive  a 
resident  teacher.  The  Bishop  told  him  plainly  that  his 
present  visit  was  merely  one  of  inquiry,  and  that  he 
would  determine  later  whether  a  teacher  should  be  sent. 
He  writes  : 

"  To  the  end  Mandara  maintained  the  same  princely 
bearing  and  gentlemanly  conduct.  With  the  exception 
of  Mirambo,  I  have  never  met  in  the  interior  a  shrewder 
or  more  enlightened  chief.*  I  have  but  little  doubt  that 
the  history  of  a  Mission  here,  if  properly  maintained, 
would  be  the  counterpart  of  most  of  our  Missions  :  the 
reception  of  the  white  man  with  joy  and  gladness  ; 
everything  done  for  him  for  a  week  or  two,  then  a  cool- 

*  It  will  be  remembered  that  Bishop  Hannington  had  not  seen 
Mtesa. 


^t.  37.]         Mr.    Wray  Prostrated  by  Fever.  361 

ing  down  of  the  first  love,  neglect,  perhaps  even  perse- 
cution ;  after  which,  if  patiently  endured,  fresh  over- 
tures, a  mutual  understanding  deepening  into  confi- 
dence and  love  ;  then  a  gradual  opening  of  the  door,  a 
breaking  down  of  superstitions,  a  reception  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  Peace  and  of  the  sweet  Saviour  of  men. 

"May  God  give  Chagga  to  His  Son  !     It  is  a  lovely* 
spot.     I  often  exclaimed,  '  Here  is  England  ;  England  ! 
You  see  England  here  !     Yes,  and  that  part  of  England 
which  I  love  best,  dear  Devonshire.'  " 

"  Thursday^  March  igth. — Last  night  was  too  much  for 

He  has  determined  to  return.    I  am  most  anxious 

he  should  remain  until  Monday.  He  next  to  declines 
unless  I  command,  which  I  am  unwilling  to  do." 

This  determination  on  the  part  of  one  of  his  staff  was 
most  inopportune,  as  Mr.  Wray  was  incapacitated  by 
fever  caught  on  the  road,  and  the  Bishop  was  left  at  a 
critical  time  to  fall  back  upon  his  ov«'n  resources.  But, 
with  his  usual  unselfishness  and  consideration  for  others, 
he  did  not  insist  upon  retaining  his  follower  for  a  single 
day  longer  than  he  was  willing  to  remain.  Happily,  he 
was  himself  in  good  health  and  able  to  rise  to  the 
occasion. 

"  March  20th. — Writing  as  fast  as  I  can,  to  send  by  the 

mail.     left  about  noon  in  pouring  rain  and  mist. 

Wet  weather,  very  depressing.  The  chief  visited  me 
again.  I  was  drawing  at  the  time,  and  drew  him,  which 
rather  wounded  his  feelings.  Lovely  view  of  Kilima- 
njaro in  the  evening. 

^^  March  21st. — A  war  party  arrived  to-day,  about  500, 
with  immense  droves  of  cattle,  which  Mandara  distrib- 
uted throughout  the  various  villages.  Very  little  excite- 
ment, and  no  tom-toming  whatever.  I  was  surprised  at 
16 


362  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

the  order  kept.  Went  up  to  see  Johnston's  house;  found 
that  it  would  be  a  nice  place  to  pitch  our  tents,  and  so 
got  leave  from  the  chief.  Had  Wray  carried  up,  as  he 
has  fever,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  were  comfortably 
settled  ;  nearly  1,000  feet  higher  than  Moschi,  and  very 
private.     These  valleys  are  very  like  Devonshire." 

During  his  stay  at  Moschi,  though  all  Hannington's 
instincts  prompted  him  to  explore  and  collect,  he  set 
apart  but  one  day  for  that  purpose.  He  never  for  a 
moment  forgot  the  object  of  his  journey,  which  was  the 
establishment  of  a  chain  of  Mission  Stations  westward 
to  the  Lake.  On  Monday,  the  23d,  however,  he  deter- 
mined to  ascend  the  mountain  as  far  as  he  could  in  one 
day,  and  to  make  a  small  collection  of  such  of  its  flora 
and  fauna  as  he  could  manage  in  so  short  a  time  to 
secure. 

He  started  from  their  camping-place  at  Kitimbiriu,* 
early  in  the  morning,  with  his  three  boys.  At  first  they 
ascended  through  lanes  of  dracaenas  and  gorgeous  scar- 
let-flowered aloes,  and  the  track  led  past  the  clustering 
huts  of  the  friendly  Wa-Chagga.  These  flocked  out  to 
see  the  Bwana  Mkubwa,  who  came  of  a  race  possessed 
of  such  a  strange  love  of  wandering.  A  little  higher 
than  5,000  feet  they  came  out  upon  grassy  downs  which 
reminded  the  Bishop  of  Devonshire.f  Above  this  again 
began  the  tangled  forest,  with  its  dense  and  almost  im- 
penetrable undergrowth,  which  clings  to  the  mountain 
to  the  height  of  about  9,000  feet.     The  Bishop  had  no    i 

*  Johnston,  p.  142. 

t  Johnston,  p.  230.  "The  surrounding  scenery  was  now  charm- 
ingly soft  and  pretty,  so  exactly  like  Devonshire  hills  and  coombes 
in  general  aspect  that  I  need  not  give  it  a  more  detailed  descrip- 
tion." 


-^t.  37.]  The  Country  of  Kibosho.  363 

guide,  and  soon  got  into  difficulties.     He  writes  in  one 
of  his  letters: 

"  I  made  one  attempt  to  cross  the  savage  country  of 
Kibosho,  not,  as  the  last  traveller,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
but  with  my  three  boys  and  umbrella.*  We  passed 
through  some  grand  forest  scenery,  got  into  the  region 
of  heath  and  tree-ferns,  failed  to  attain  any  great  height 
(about  8,800  feet),  and  finally  got  lost  in  a  desperate 
tangle,  out  of  which  we  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  find- 
ing our  way." 

His  pocket-book  journal  is  more  graphic  in  its  jot- 
tings : 

"  Started  early  with  my  three  small  boys,  to  try  and  pass 
the  forest  line  on  Kilima-njaro.  Heavy  dew  and  cloud 
was  our  lot,  during  a  long  ascent  of  some  hours  through 
a  wonderful  moss-and-fern-clad  forest.  At  length  we 
reached  lovely  tree-ferns  and  heath  like  a  Devonshire 
moor,  which  made  my  heart  beat  quick.  The  path  w^hich 
we  had  ascended  all  the  morning  now  divided,  and  the 
forest  became  so  dense  that  we  could  form  no  idea  as 
to  where  we  were.  So  I  decided  to  return.  Missed  the 
path,  amongst  the  hundreds  of  elephant  tracks,  and  got 
utterly  lost.  To  add  to  our  misery,  pouring  rain  set  in, 
and  I  fell  down  an  elephant  pit.  Never  had  I  felt  more 
bewildered.     The  boys  were  terrified. f     At  length  one 

*  Mr.  Johnston  had  unfortunately  for  himself  become  entangled 
in  Mandara's  wars  with  his  neighbors,  and  the  Wa-Klbosho,  in 
consequence,  looked  upon  him  as  their  enemy,  and  opposed  his 
ascent  of  the  mountain. 

t  Mr.  Johnston  writes  of  this  forest :  "  The  dull  gloom  was  very 
oppressive.  The  mists  of  the  mountain  permeated  the  foliage  and 
a  continual  moisture  dripped  down  on  us.  We  were  all  wetted 
through  every  covering.    Our  clothes  were  ponderous  with  absorbed 


364  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

of  them,  a  M-Taita,  roused  himself,  and,  with  true  native 
sagacity,  discerned  the  elephant  tracks  from  the  path 
smoothed  by  human  feet — no  easy  matter — and  brought 
us  back  to  the  right  way.  I  only  got  one  peep  of  Kilima- 
njaro all  day.  Not  over-tired,  but  drenched  through, 
and  so  wet  my  plants."  Elsewhere  the  Bishop  says  that 
he  was  so  thoroughly  wetted  by  the  dripping  under- 
growth through  which  they  passed  that  on  their  way 
home  he  waded  through  a  stream  almost  up  to  his  neck 
without  getting  any  sensibly  wetter.  The  following  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  to  Mr.  Mitten  will  explain  the  refer- 
ence to  the  plants: 

"  My  dear  Prof., — I  have  to-day  sent  to  the  Brit.  Mus. 
a  box  of  butterflies  and  a  box  of  mosses  from  Kilima- 
njaro. I  have  asked  the  Librarian  to  have  them  for- 
warded to  you.  My  plants  all  got  spoilt  with  the  intense 
rain,  ferns  and  all,  the  mosses  running  a  very  narrow 
shave,  and  many  are  discolored.  I  only  got  up  about 
8,800  feet,  but  I  am  off  there  again  if  nothing  pre- 
vent, and  hope  to  get  higher.  I  wanted  to  get  to  the 
snow-line  for  mosses,  and  made  a  desperate  struggle, 
but  the  ascent  is  so  gradual  that  it  takes  a  very  long 
time.      I   started   at  about  5,000   ft.,  and    walked   from 

water — it  was  fatigning  to  stagger  under  their  weight.  Noises  full 
of  vague  terror  to  my  superstitious  following  broke  the  stillness  of 
the  rank  depths  wherein  we  stumbled  and  crept  along.  Each 
porter,  as  he  clutched  his  load  with  one  hand  and  with  the  other 
pushed  aside  the  interwoven  boughs,  turned  his  head  uneasily  from 
side  to  side,  dreading  the  sudden  rising  from  the  bush  of  some  ter- 
rible unimagined  foe."  No  wonder  that  the  Bishop's  boys  became 
terrified  as  they  tremblingly  followed  their  master  ever  upward 
toward  the  demon-haunted  throne  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Mountain. 
The  traveller  through  these  African  forest  wilds  begins  to  under- 
stand the  feeling  which  originated  those  grim  and  weird  German 
legends,  so  full  of  the  vague  terrors  of  "  the  Forest." 


^t,  37.]  Farewell  Visit  to  Ma7idara.  365 

morning  till  4  p.m.  with  scarce  any  stoppages,  and  then 
never  got  out  of  the  dense  forest  tangle.  Among  the 
mosses  I  recognized  several  old  acquaintances  ;  in  fact, 
I  don't  think  you  will  get  six  new  things  out  of  the  lot, 
as  I  swept  pretty  clean  in  U-Sagara  last  visit,  and  the 
same  things  seem  to  crop  up  here.*  I  have  been  won- 
derfully well  and  active,  and  have  got  over  as  much 
ground  in  a  given  time  as  anybody  out  here,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  I  could  start  with  you  to-day  and  run  over  the 
Alps  better  than  ever  I  did  before.  This  new  road  is 
perfectly  healthy  and  very  bracing,  and  travelling  has 
been  like  in  England  or  Wales.  The  rainfall  here  has 
been  terrible,  six  inches  in  four  days,  so  that  I  am  ex- 
pecting an  unhealthy  time  very  shortly.  How  I  should 
like  to  show  you  round  my  garden  and  to  see  yours. 
Mine  now  is  about  the  size  of  yours,  and  stored  with 
the  curious.  The  views  from  it  are  simply  exquisite,  as 
it  runs  down  to  the  sea."  f 

An  opportunity  of  reascending  Kilima-njaro  was 
again,  somewhat  unexpectedly,  afforded,  and  this  time 
the  Bishop  took  Mr.  Wray  and  eight  men  with  him.  It 
is,  however,  impossible  to  gain  a  great  height  without 
spending  a  night  on  the  mountain,  and  they  did  not 
reach  higher  than  9,000  feet. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  Hannington  paid  his  farewell 
visit  to  Mandara.     He  writes: 

"  This  afternoon,  he  sent  me  a  magnificent  spear,  a 
rhinoceros-horn  knob-stick,  and  a  beautifully  worked 
chain,  which  latter  I  gave  to  Wray.  I  sent  one  or  two 
extra  presents  to  Mandara  in  my  ecstasy  over  the  spear. 

*  Hannington's  name  is  associated  with  an  Asplenium,  A.Han- 
nv!gtom',a.nA  a  Passion  Flower,  Tryphosienima  Hanningtonianmn, 
t  This  was  written  from  the  Bishop's  House  at  Frere  Town. 


366  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

"  Thursday,  March  26th. — Up  at  4  a.m.  Dreadful  busi- 
ness with  the  men.  Final  visit  to  the  chief  ;  received 
an  ox,  a  magnificent  goat,  an  immense  quantity  of  fresh 
milk,  and  a  small  elephant's  tusk,  for  which  latter  he 
wants  some  soap  and  paraffin.  Mandara  and  I  have  hit 
it  off  very  well,  and  we  both  express  ourselves  satisfied 
and  pleased. 

"The  next  day  we  arrived  in  Fumba's  country.  We 
were  asked  to  halt  and  wait  instructions,  while  the  de- 
lighted people  gathered  round  us  in  great  curiosity,  as 
this  little  territory  is  off  the  traveller's  track  ;  in  fact, 
we  only  found  ourselves  there  by  having  mistaken  a 
turn.  Presently  the  chief's  father  arrived,  bringing  with 
him  a  sheep.  This  had  at  once  to  be  killed,  though  not 
before  we  and  they  had  spit  on  its  head.  Then  some 
strips  of  skin  were  cut  off  and  made  into  rings,  one  of 
which  was  put  on  my  finger,  and  another  on  Wray's  ; 
then  we  had  in  turn  to  put  rings  on  two  of  them.  After 
this,  the  liver  was  examined,  and  finally  we  were  freely 
splashed  with  the  entrails,  and  the  ceremony  which 
made  us  brothers  was  completed.  We  were  now  per- 
mitted to  make  a  move  towards  the  chief  and  to  encamp. 
Then  another  sheep  had  to  be  killed,  the  same  ceremony 
yet  more  elaborately  performed,  and  the  conversation 
began.  It  was  not  interesting.  It  harped  too  much 
upon  one  string.  The  burden  was  the  old  African  song, 
'Give,  give,  give.'  The  next  day  we  bade  them  farewell, 
and  arrived  in  the  truly  lovely  country  of  the  young 
chief  Miliali.  He  much  wants  a  teacher  ;  but,  like  the 
rest,  wants  gunpowder  more. 

"  All  these  districts  are  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
mountain,  and  comprise  Chagga  proper,  the  natives  all 
appearing  to  speak  the  same  tongue.  I  have  seen  no 
place  in  Africa  so  beautiful  as  this;  rapid  torrents  dash 


MOUNTAIN   TORRENT,  MARANGO,  KILIMA-NJARO. 


JEt.  37.]  Killed  by  the  Rain.  367 

down  the  mountain  sides,  forming  a  succession  of  lovely 
cascades.  There  are  grassy  slopes,  fern-clad  rocks,  even 
shady  lanes,  in  which  the  blackberry  abounds.  Nooks 
entirely  tropical,  and  snow-clad  heights.  You  have,  in 
fact,  panoramic  views  of  the  scenery  of  the  world. 

^'' March  ;^ist — We  left  Miliali's  at  about  3  p.m.,  being 
rather  delayed  by  the  attempt  of  the  natives  to  rob  one 
of  our  men.  We  soon  reached  a  river,  and  found  an  ab- 
solutely perpendicular  precipice  of  some  50  feet,  up 
which  men  can  climb  by  roots  and  creepers ;  but  a 
sheer  impossibility  for  Wray's  donkey.  We  turned  ;  the 
guides  vowed  there  vv^as  no  other  place,  and  defied  us  to 
try.  We  braved  their  v/rath  and  found  another,  though 
the  difficulties  were  scarcely  less.  Here,  somehow  or 
other,  in  the  darkness  we  got  separated,  my  tent  and 
several  loads  taking  an  entirely  different  road  from  the 
one  I  had  the  misfortune  to  follow.  Night  came  on,  and 
with  it  torrents  of  rain.  I  waited,  hoping  it  would  clear, 
and  expecting  my  tent.  An  hour  passed  and  still  I 
stood.  Wray  now  made  an  effort  and  got  his  tent  under 
weigh.  It  is  a  very  small  one,  and  with  him.self  and  six 
boxes  there  was  scarcely  room  to  stir.  We  tried  to  light 
a  fire  with  oil  and  tallow  and  fat,  but  in  vain  ;  for  once 
we  were  entirely  beaten,  and,  worse  still,  nearly  blinded 
with  evil-smelling  smoke.  Wray  succeeded  in  getting 
a  bed,  but  I  had  to  face  the  mud  on  the  wet  ground, 
spreading  a  blanket  over  it.  I  had  to  lie  down  in  my 
wet  clothes,  gaiters  and  boots,  and  I  made  two  of  my 
wet  boys,  both  for  their  own  sakes  and  mine,  come  and  lie 
one  on  each  side  of  me,  as  close  as  sardines,  to  prevent 
the  chance  of  a  chill.  The  rain  killed  one  of  the  men — 
he  died  two  daj^s  after.*     How  thankful  we  were  when 

*  Nothing  seems  to  demoralize  the  coast  porter  more  than  con- 
tinued, heavy  rain. 


368  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

day  broke  !  In  spite  of  being  bespattered  with  mud, 
and  wet  through,  it  was  delightful  to  be  at  least  able  to 
see  what  we  were  about.  I  had  scarcely  aroused  myself 
when  a  shrill  war-cry  rang  through  the  forest,  and  a 
large  body  of  armed  men  sprang  from  the  bushes  and 
bore  down  upon  us.  Thank  God,  my  old  nerve  re- 
mained. I  ran  forward  alone  and  unarmed  to  meet 
them,  for  the  least  false  step  on  the  part  of  our  men 
would  have  caused  a  general  massacre.  I  must  confess 
that  my  heart  seemed  to  jump  into  my  mouth  as  they 
charged  up  the  hill,  yelling  and  brandishing  their  spears. 
I  seized  a  bough,  as  a  token  of  peace,  and  shouted, 
'Jambo  !  Good-morning  !  Do  you  want  to  kill  a  white 
man  ?'  A  sudden  halt,  and  a  dead  pause  ;  at  last,  '  No, 
we  don't ;  but  we  thought  you  were  Masai.' 

"  It  appeared  that  a  man  living  near  had  heard  us  talk- 
ing in  the  dark,  and  thinking  that  the  Masai  were  upon 
them,  sent  all  round  the  country,  and  gathered  a  large 
force  to  annihilate  us.  When  they  saw  how  matters 
stood,  they  at  once  made  friends,  and  tried  hard  to  per- 
suade us  to  remain  and  visit  Mambo,  their  chief.  But 
as  I  had  no  tent,  I  declined.  In  revenge  they  made  April 
fools  of  us  poor  dripping  creatures,  and  sent  us  the 
wrong  way  through  the  forest,  so  that  we  had  finally  to 
cut  a  road  with  our  axes  for  ourselves,  until  at  last  we 
joined  the  road  at  the  top  of  the  precipice  which  the 
donkey  had  been  unable  to  climb.  We  then  with  swift 
steps  fled  from  such  dangerous  quarters,  but  did  not 
come  up  with  our  baggage,  so  we  had  again  to  sleep 
out  without  cover.  There  had  been  no  sun  to  dry  our 
things,  so  we  spent  a  miserable  night. 

"  The  next  day  I  rose  at  4  a.m.  and  doctored  the  sick 
man  mentioned  above.  We  then  marched  as  well  as  our 
weary  anS  stiff  frames  v/ould  let  us  along  a  heavy,  wet 


^t.  37.]  Unhealthy  Taveta.  369 

road  which  led  us  to  Taveta.  Here  we  were  made  once 
more  comfortable,  and,  by  the  great  mercy  of  God,  I 
escaped  evil  consequences  from  my  two  nights'  exposure. 
The  sick  man,  without  my  knowledge,  asked  to  be 
washed  in  v/arm  water,  and  a  few  minutes  later  I  was 
called  to  see  him,  and  found  him  dying.  He  was  killed 
by  the  terrible  rain,  while  I,  in  God's  mercy,  am  spared 
without  even  a  cold  ! 

"  Good  Friday;  up  at  daybreak  to  see  about  the  grave 
of  our  poor  porter.  The  men  took  great  pains  about  it. 
He  was  not  baptized,  but  had  been  under  Christian  in- 
struction. We  said  some  Collects  over  his  grave.  We 
then  had  the  Service  of  the  Day.  I  afterwards  strolled 
in  the  forest,  and,  venturing  to  leave  the  path,  had  great 
work  to  return.  On  Saturday  I  had  a  good  catch  of 
butterflies.  The  place  swarms  with  monkeys,  vultures, 
and  great  quaint-looking  hornbills. 

"  On  Easter  Day  we  had  a  Swahili  Service  for  the 
men.  We  then  celebrated  the  Holy  Communion — our 
two  selves  and  three  of  the  men. 

"  Here  I  felt  a  near  approach  of  fever,  and  only  warded 
it  off  by  an  immediate  application  of  remedies.  Taveta 
is  most  beautiful  and  fascinating,  with  its  groves  and 
streams,  and  a  kindly  and  hospitable  people  making  the 
stranger  w^elcome  to  their  forest  home  ;  but  it  is  most 
unhealthy,  at  least  at  this  season.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  only 
unhealthy  spot  which  we  have  visited  on  this  route. 
Wray  was  also  threatened  with  another  attack  of  fever, 
and  went  straight  to  bed. 

"  On  Monday  we  were  off  at  daybreak  ;  we  had  some 
difficulty  in  getting  out,  owing  to  the  depth  of  black 
mud  ;  but  it  was  with  no  small  satisfaction  that  I  stood 
outside  the  forest  and  felt  a  blow  of  wind  upon  me  once 
more. 

16* 


370  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

"  Giraffe,  Koodoo  and  other  antelopes  all  round,  but 
they  don't  tempt  me. 

^^Ap7'il']. — Fever  threatening,  but  I  won't  give  way." 
So  he  walked  all  day,  as  the  best  means  of  shaking  it 
off.  "  Presently  two  guns  ahead,  and  a  man  runs  to 
meet  me.  He  carries  a  letter.  Huzza  !  Oh,  the  joy  ! 
— my  mail,  and  all  well.     Thank  God  ! 

"  Game  everywhere  on  the  plain.  Saw  many  ostriches. 
Nearly  picked  up  a  snake,  thinking  it  was  a  quail. 

''April  8,  4  A.M. — Scotch  mist,  and  very  cold.  The 
men  clung  to  their  fires.  I  had  to  dash  at  them,  and 
straw  the  fires  out,  and  left  camp  hurling  firebrands  at 
some  of  the  most  obstinate.  Tedious  march  to  Mgameni; 
bad  smell.  Wray  gave  in.  Terrible  rain,  but  we  were 
partly  under  cover.  On  once  more.  The  hammock  men 
went  ahead,  leaving  me  to  walk  through  the  river.  Very 
vexed,  as  it  was  thoughtless  of  them,  and  puts  me  in 
great  danger  of  fever.  Wring  my  socks  and  get  on  as 
best  I  can.  Have  to  get  all  the  men  together  to  pass 
Kilima  Kilomu,  fearing  hongo.  Escaped.  More  rain  ; 
tremendously  long  grass  ;  arrive  in  camp,  6  p.m.,  tired 
almost  beyond  endurance." 

I  quote  these  jottings  as  they  are  scribbled  on  the  leaf 
of  his  pocket-book  ;  they  seem  to  me  to  be  more  elo- 
quent than  many  an  elaborate  description.  As  we  read 
them,  the  image  of  the  weary  and  overdone  man,  who 
had  given  up  his  own  hammock  to  his  sick  friend,  stum- 
bling through  the  sodden  grass  of  the  muddy  plain,  yet 
refusing  to  own  himself  beaten,  and  doggedly  plodding 
forward,  ever  forward — stands  out  with  the  vraisem- 
blance  of  an  instantaneous  photograph. 

By  the  evening  of  the  next  day  they  reached  Taita 
The  Bishop   expected  to  find  here  a  caravan  which  Mr. 


^t.  37.]  Arrival  at  Taita.  371 

Handford  had  been  directed  to  send  from  the  coast  with 
food.  Through  a  sequence  of  mischances  this  convoy 
had  been  delayed,  and  when  the  part}?-  arrived  from 
Taveta  with  their  own  stores  exhausted,  they  found  no 
replenishment.  The  Bishop  writes  :  "  I  was  in  despair. 
After  waiting  for  a  day  or  two  on  famine  allowance,  we 
were  reduced  to  considerable  straits.  Barely  eating 
enough  to  support  life,  it  was  difficult  to  eat  that,  for 
the  poor  starving  Wa-Taita  came  round  and  watched 
every  mouthful  we  took,  like  hungry  dogs.  I  think  I 
should  go  mad  if  this  went  on  much  longer." 

After  doing  his  best  to  inculcate  patience  among  his 
followers,  the  Bishop  relieved  his  feelings  by  a  good 
butterfly  hunt  for  the  British  Museum.  But  things  were 
waxing  desperate,  when,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  nth, 
a  gun  announced  the  laggard  caravan.  He  writes  : 
"  How  full  of  joy  I  felt !     Food  for  the  starving  !  " 

"On  Sunday,  April  12th,  after  Morning  Service,  we 
gathered  together  the  remaining  Wa-Taita,  who  were 
helpless  against  their  enemies,  and  famishing,  and  ar- 
ranged that  some  of  them  should  go  with  me,  the  rest 
follow  later  on  to  the  coast." 

The  next  day  the  Bishop  started,  leaving  Mr.  Wray  at 
the  Mission  House,  and  taking  with  him  thirt)'  of  the 
half-starved  people.  He  writes:  "It  was  very  nice  to 
hear  a  little  group  of  men  praying  round  their  fire  as  I 
laid  me  to  sleep." 

Happily  the  passage  of  this  miscellaneous  troop  over 
the  dreadful  desert  between  Maungu  and  Taro  was  made 
on  a  comparatively  cool  day,  so  that  the}'  crossed  the 
waterless  region  without  any  great  suffering.  In  due 
time  the  Bishop  brought  his  whole  party  safely  through 
to  Rabai.     Here  the  Wa-Taita  were  left  in  good  hands, 


3/2  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

and  he  himself,  without  stopping,  went  straight  on  to 
Frere  Town. 

Thus  ended  an  eventful  journey.     The  Bishop  writes: 

"  I  have  to  praise  God  for  one  of  the  most  successful 
journeys,  as  a  journey,  that  I  ever  took.  For  myself, 
too,  I  have  enjoyed  most  excellent  health  almost  the 
whole  way,  during  a  tramp  of  four  hundred  miles.* 
May  its  result  be  the  planting  of  the  Cross  of  Christ 

ON  KiLIMA-NJARO  !  "  f 

*  This  is  a  most  modest  estimate,  and  almost  "  as  the  crow 
flies."  The  actual  distance  there  and  back,  allowing  for  inevitable 
windings,  would  probably  be  more  than  five  hundred  miles. 

tThis  has  been  the  result.  A  Mission  Station  is  now  established 
at  Moschi  in  Chagga,  where  Messrs.  Wray  and  Fitch  do  outpost 
duty. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"the  work  of  a  bishop." 

(1885.     april — june.) 

"  Probably  no  one  will  deny  that  this  ....  holiness  has  ex- 
isted. Few  will  maintain  that  it  has  been  exceedingly  rare.  Per- 
haps the  truth  is  that  there  has  scarcely  been  a  town  in  any  Chris- 
tian country,  since  the  time  of  Christ,  where  a  century  has  passed 
without  exhibiting  a  character  of  such  elevation  that  his  mere  pres- 
ence has  shamed  the  bad,  and  made  the  good  better,  and  has  been 
felt  at  times  like  the  presence  of  God  Himself.  And  if  this  be  so, 
has  Christ  failed  ?  or  can  Christianity  die  .''  " — Ecce  Homo. 

Sunburnt  and  shaggy,  but  glowing  with  health,  the 
Bishop  once  more  stood,  surrounded  by  his  friends, 
upon  the  threshold  of  his  own  house  at  Frere  Town. 
He  was  overjoyed  to  think  that  upon  this  new  route 
westward  there  were  no  difficulties  w^hich  might  not  be 
overcome  by  courage,  prudence,  and  experience.  No 
ghastly  malarial  fevers  ;  no  cruel  dysenteric  attacks, 
such  as  on  the  lower  road  reduced  the  strength  of  the 
strongest  man,  and  neutralized  his  bravest  efforts. 
When  he  compared  his  experience  upon  this  journey 
with  those  of  his  terrible  march  of  death  from  Zanzibar 
to  the  Lake  in  the  previous  year,  he  was  filled  with  a 
kind  of  triumph.  What  if  it  were  possible  to  push 
straight  through,  as  Thomson  had  done,  to  the  North 
end  of  the  Nyanza  !  Might  not  many  lives  be  saved, 
and  incalculable  suffering  averted  ?  Already  the  idea 
began  to  form  itself  definitely  in  his  mind.  The  idea, 
once  started,  formulated  itself  rapidly.  The  more  he 
thought  about  it,  the  more  feasible  did  the  new  route 

(373) 


374  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

appear.  The  way  was  shorter  by  a  very  considerable 
distance  ;  it  was  incontestably  healthier  ;  it  lay  through 
a  country  which,  in  many  places,  possessed  an  English 
climate,  and  was  thoroughly  suitable  for  European  resi- 
dence ;  there  was  at  that  time  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
the  Ba-ganda  would  offer  any  opposition  to  an  approach 
from  the  Northeast.  The  only  serious  difficulty  ap- 
peared to  be  the  lawless  and  irrepressible  Masai.  Well, 
Mr.  Thomson  had  proved  that  it  was  quite  possible  to 
pass  through  the  country  of  these  truculent  warriors 
without  danger  much  greater  than  was  incidental  to  all 
African  travelling  through  unexplored  regions.  Jumba 
Kimameta  and  other  traders  were  in  the  habit  of  taking 
caravans  regularly  backwards  and  forwards  through  the 
heart  of  the  Masai  country  ;  and,  in  fine,  Hannington 
did  not  believe  that  there  were  any  insurmountable 
obstacles  to  the  establishment  of  a  chain  of  Mission 
Stations  which  should  extend  from  Mombasa,  through 
Taita  or  Chagga  by  Lakes  Naivasha  and  Baringo,  to 
U-Ganda.  But  the  weightiest  chain  of  thought  is,  like 
other  chains,  no  stronger  than  its  weakest  link  ;  and 
ignorance  of  a  single  detail  may  upset  the  conclusions 
of  the  most  cogent  reasoning  ;  and  the  Bishop  and  his 
friends  were  unfortunately  ignorant  of  one  fact  of  which 
we,  who  are  wise  after  the  event,  are  now  aware.  I 
mean  the  suspicion  and  fear  with  which  all  visitors  from 
the  Northeast  are  regarded  by  the  people  of  U-Ganda. 
But  of  this  anon.  The  Bishop  shall  presently  explain 
his  own  views  in  his  own  words.  In  the  meanwhile,  it 
is  sufficient  for  us  to  note  that  his  mind  had  already 
grasped  the  idea  of  a  new  and  better  route  to  the  Lake, 
and  that  he  was  even  now  making  inquiries  with  regard 
to  it  of  every  practical  man  with  whom  he  was  acquaint- 
ed, and  planning  the  details  in  his  busy  brain. 


^t.  37.]  FiiUadoyo.  375 

A  few  days  after  his  return  from  Chagga  he  wrote  to 
Mr.  Wigram  :  "  You  will  be  utterly  frightened  when  you 
hear  that  I  am  consulting  all  whom  I  can,  with  a  view 
to  crossing  the  Masai  country  to  the  Lake  ;  but  reserve 
your  judgment  until  you  hear  from  me  by  the  next 
mail." 

When  the  Bishop  returned  from  his  long  tramp,  he 
found  a  good  deal  of  work  awaiting  him  in  Frere  Town 
and  the  neighborhood.  He  did  not  allow  himself  long 
to  rest,  but  started  again  almost  immediately  to  visit  a 
station  to  the  North,  called  Mwaiba  (marked  on  the  map 
Kamlikeni),  in  the  Giriama  country.  He  took  with  him 
his  Chaplain,  Mr.  Fitch,  and  Jones,  the  catechist.  On 
their  way,  they  visited  a  station  of  the  United  Free 
Methodists  at  Rib^.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houghton,  the  mis- 
sionaries there,  are  now  well  known  by  name,  as  they 
were  both  murdered  by  the  Masai  *  in  the  spring  of  this 
year,  1886,  surviving  Bishop  Hannington  by  about  six 
months.  They  gave  him  "  a  kind  welcome  " — which,  no 
doubt,  he  has  since  retu7'ned. 

Not  far  from  Mwaiba  Hiil  is  the  interesting  settlement 
of  Fulladoyo,  where  a  number  of  runaway  slaves  have 
collected  ;  where  also  a  chief  named  Mbaruk,  who  has 
been  outlawed  by  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar,  has  taken  up 
his  abode.  The  C.  M.  S.  has  been  compelled  to  eschev/ 
the  neighborhood  of  Fulladoyo,  lest  the  Missionaries 
should  be  accused  of  leaguing  themselves  with  the  rebels. 

The  Bishop  writes  :  "  I  determined  to  take  a  private 
peep  at  Fulladoyo,  and,  if  possible,  see  this  Mbaruk. 
Walked  twenty-four  miles  ;    arrived  at  F.,  11  p.m.     At 

*  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houghton  were  not  sent  as  missionaries  to  the 
Masai,  but  were  located  in  the  Galla  Country,  on  the  River  Tana. 
They  were  killed  during  an  attack  by  one  of  the  raiding  war  parties 
which  Ixad  penetrated  Eastward  from  Masai  Land. 


37^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

first  dawn  the  elders  came  to  my  tent.  We  were  hardly- 
seated,  when  about  twenty  of  Mbaruk's  soldiers  marched 
up  to  my  tent  in  a  very  imperious  manner,  and  demand- 
ed why  I  was  there.  Imperious  not  so  much  to  me  as 
to  the  FuUadoyo  people,  who  I  thought  would  have  fired 
upon  them  there  and  then.  However,  I  sent  a  message 
by  them  to  Mbaruk,  saying  I  wished  to  see  him."  At 
the  interview  that  followed,  Mbaruk  sought  the  Bishop's 
advice,  confided  to  him  that  he  was  weary  of  his  present 
lawless  life,  and  wished  to  make  peace  with  the  Sultan. 
By  the  advice  of  the  Bishop,  he  then  and  there  wrote  to 
the  Consul.  Negotiations  have  since  been  going  on, 
which  it  is  hoped  may  terminate  in  putting  an  end  to 
the  brigandage  of  this  robber  band.  Bishop  Hanning- 
ton, ever  on  the  alert  to  seize  an  advantage  for  the 
Church,  saw  here  an  opportunity  which  he  did  not  lose, 
but  made  every  arrangement  to  occupy  Fulladoyo  as 
soon  as  Mbaruk  should  have  evacuated  it.  The  large 
colony  of  escaped  slaves  had,  many  of  them,  been  for  a 
short  time  under  the  influence  of  David  Abe  Sidi,*  a 
native  Catechist,  now  dead,  and  would  have  welcomed  a 
teacher.  The  Bishop  says  :  "  They  still  observe  the  Sab- 
bath, and,  for  the  most  part,  have  only  one  wife." 

^'^  May  2nd. — Again  walked  thirty  miles  with  perfect 
ease ;  not  even  tired  at  the  end  of  it.  Since  March,  I 
have  walked  about  six  hundred  miles.  To  Hitn  be  the 
glory  !     Amen  !  " 

On  May  the  13th  the  examination  of  catechists  re- 
ferred to  in  a  former  letter  was  held  with  a  view  to  their 
being  licensed  as  lay-preachers  ;  and,  on  the  last  day  of 


*  David  Abe  Sidi  founded  the  colony  of  Fulladoyo.  When  war 
was  made  against  his  little  flock  of  escaped  slaves,  he  threw  in  his 
lot  with  them,  and  perished  in  1883. 


JEt.  37.]         Ordinatioii  of  Native  Catechists.  377 

the  month,  which  was  Trinity  Sunday,  there  was  an  Or- 
dination at  Frere  Town,  when  the  first  two  natives  of 
East  Africa,  in  connection  with  the  C.  M.  S.,  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  Diaconate.  These  were  William  Jones 
and  Ishmael  Michael  Semler,  both  of  them  rescued 
slaves,  and  men  who  had  given  for  many  years  abundant 
proof  of  sincerity  and  zeal,  and  seemed  to  possess  con- 
siderable spiritual  gifts.  The  Bishop  says  :  "  Their  ex- 
amination, which  also  included  D.  Rosengrave,  another 
native  Catechist  (a  freed  slave  of  1875),  was  conducted 
by  my  Chaplain,  and  not  only  satisfied  us,  but  surprised 
and  rejoiced  our  hearts.  Commencing  on  Thursday,  we 
had  every  morning  and  evening  special  seasons  set  apart 
for  prayer,  and  I  then  gave  them  brief  charges  on  Chris- 
tian life  and  the  ministerial  office.  We  all  felt  these 
seasons  to  be  times  of  great  spiritual  refreshment." 

The  Rev.  W.  E.  Taylor,  B.A.,  was  also  admitted  to 
Priest's  Orders. 

On  Sunday,  they  assembled  at  Mr.  Handford's  for 
prayer,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  church.  As  the  pro- 
cession entered  the  building,  the  great  congregation 
stood  up  and  burst  forth  into  the  strains  of  that  tri- 
umphant battle-hymn,  "  Onward,  Christian  soldiers  !  " — 
and  the  church  throbbed  to  the  pulsations  of  Sullivan's 
martial  tune,  raised  by  hundreds  of  full-voiced  natives. 
Christians  and  Catechumens,  whose  dark  upturned 
faces  glowed  with  suppressed  excitement.  Mr.  Hand- 
ford  preached  in  Kiswahili,  from  Matt.  xiii.  52,  and  the 
well-known  Ordination  Service  proceeded  ;  after  which 
fifty-seven  communicants  knelt  before  the  Table  of  the 
Lord.  There  were,  it  is  true,  some  things  in  the  conduct 
of  public  worship  at  Frere  Town  which  did  not  com- 
mend themselves  to  the  Bishop.  [His  diary  of  the  Sun- 
day previous  to  the  Ordination  has  the  following  :  "  I 


378  James  Hamiingfon.  [A.D.  1885. 

have  constantly  to  regret  the  dissenterish  kind  of  Ser- 
vices they  have  here.  A  style  of  Service  that  has  been 
handed  down,  I  should  think,  from  Rebmann.  Why 
don't  I  have  it  altered  ?  Wait  a  bit  !  "J  But  when  he 
discerned  the  presence  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  he  could 
pardon  many  a  minor  detail  ;  and  on  that  day  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  seemed  to  descend  upon  the  people. 
All  felt  that  One  was  present  to  bless.  In  the  afternoon 
the  Bishop  preached  from  a  favorite  text  of  his,  from 
which  he  was  never  tired  of  drawing  inexhaustible  stores 
of  Christ-lore  :  "  This  is  M}^  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased."  "  I  can  hardly  tell  you,"  he  writes,  "  how 
greatly  privileged  I  feel  in  thus  having  been  permitted 
to  ordain  the  first  native  ministers  of  our  infant  East 
African  Church.  The  foundations  of  a  native  ministry 
have  now  been  laid.  I  call  most  earnestly  upon  all  the 
children  of  God  to  pray  for  these  men,  that  they  may  be 
kept  humble  and  zealous  workers  in  God's  vineyard, 
and  that  they  may  be  made  winners  of  souls." 

On  the  first  of  June  Bishop  Hannington  sailed  in  the 
Henry  Wright  to  Zanzibar,  to  make  preparations  for  a 
second  journey  to  Chagga,  where  he  proposed  to  estab- 
lish Mr.  Wray  and  Mr.  Fitch,  and  to  found  a  Station  at 
Moschi.  He  had  many  interviews  with  Sir  John  Kirk, 
Consul  Smith,  and  others,  who  all,  together  with  the 
Sultan,  were  entirely  in  favor  of  his  proposed  expedition 
to  the  Lake  through  Masai  Land.  He  left  no  stone  un- 
turned to  gather  up  every  possible  scrap  of  information 
on  the  subject,  and  read  with  care  all  that  Mr.  Thomson 
has  said  in  his  remarkable  book.  The  result  was  that 
he  was  more  than  ever  confirmed  in  his  opinion  that  this 
route  ought  to  prove  immensely  superior  in  almost  every 
respect  to  the  old  route  through  Uyui. 

Nine  days  were  spent  in  this  manner,  and  in  gathering 


^t.  S7-]       Modified  Viezvs  upon  Church  Order.         379 

together  materials  for  the  march  to  Chagga,  and  for 
the  needs  of  the  new  Station  to  be  opened  at  Mandara's 
capital. 

His  journal  has  the  following  entry  on  Sunday,  the 
7th  :  "  Went  with  Fitch  and  Price  to  Early  Communion 
in  the  Cathedral.  I  suppose  we  ought  to  have  been 
shocked,  but  were  not." 

It  will  be  perceived  from  the  above  and  some  previous 
entries,  that  Hannington's  views  upon  Church  order  and 
outward  forms  of  worship  had  undergone  some  slight 
modification  since  the  early  days  of  his  ministry,  A 
wider  acquaintance  with  men  and  things  had  softened 
his  prejudices  and  somewhat  unbent  his  anti-ritualistic 
bow.  He  had  never  at  any  time  been  inclined  to  quar- 
rel over  the  "  non-necessaria,"  and  was  now  less  disposed 
than  ever  to  adopt  the  repellant  attitude  of  one  who  is 
always  looking  for  something  with  which  to  find  fault. 
He  had  seen  and  noted  the  dangers  that  lurk  behind 
both  excessive  attention  to  ritual  and  its  neglect ;  but 
he  had  learned  to  look  within  the  shell  of  things,  and 
,had  discovered  that  spirituality  and  fidelity  may  equally 
characterize  men  who  commit  either  of  these  mistakes. 
As  we  have  said  before,  when  he  thought  that  he  dis- 
cerned the  Blessing  of  the  Divine  Spirit  resting  upon 
men  and  their  deeds,  he  was  not  nervously  apprehensive 
about  sanctioning  by  his  co-operation  their  modes  and 
their  methods.  Even  in  his  early  days  at  Hurst,  when  a 
reaction  from  excessive  formality  had  swung  him  to  the 
opposite  extreme,  we  have  seen  that  he  was  as  willing 
to  preach  in  "one  of  the  highest"  churches  in  Brighton 
as  in  the  lowest.  And  now,  after  some  experience  of 
both  mistakes,  he  was  rather  inclined  to  avoid  them 
himself  than  to  be  hypercritical  of  those  who  had  not 
yet  attained  to  the  golden  mean. 


380  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

He  thus  journals  the  remainder  of  this  Sunday  : 
"  Breakfast  with  the  Bp.  ...  10  a.m.,  Swahili  Service  ; 
their  singing  does  not  nearly  come  up  to  ours.*  3.30, 
tea  at  the  Univ.  Mission.  4.30,  preached  in  the  Cathe- 
dral from  the  Transfiguration.  I  preached  from  the 
steps,  and  was  in  great  liberty." 

Shortly  after  this  he  returned  to  Frere  Town,  and  on 
June  T3th  we  find  him  holding  his  first  African  Con- 
firmation. The  Service  was  at  6.30  a.m.  Thirty-three 
candidates  assembled  in  the  early  grey  of  the  morning, 
almost  all  grown  men  and  women.  He  v/rites  :  "Many 
of  them  appear  to  be  simple-minded,  quiet  Christians, 
desirous  of  anything  that  v/ill  bring  them  nearer  to 
Christ." 

At  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  v^^hich  fol- 
lowed, seventy,  including  the  recently  confirmed,  com- 
municated. 

The  same  day  at  noon  a  special  meeting  was  sum- 
moned, and  the  Bishop  and  his  party  were  dismissed 
with  prayer  for  their  second  journey  into  the  vast  interior. 

At  Rabai  a  halt  was  called,  and  Sunday,  the  14th,  was 
spent  at  the  Mission.     Bishop  Hannington  Avrites  : 

"  To-day  I  held  my  second  Ordination  in  East  Africa ; 
the  Rev.  J.  C.  Price,  the  missionary  at  Mpwapwa,  was 
ordained  priest.  The  Rev.  W.  E.  Taylor  preached  the 
sermon,  and  Jones  also  assisted  me.  We  took  the  whole 
in  Kiswahili.  It  v/as  a  very  primitive  Service.  We  were 
unavoidably  a  surplice  short,  so  we  had  to  dress  Taylor 
up  in  a  sheet  and  a  few  other  oddments  !  Nevertheless 
the  Service  was  impressive,  and  I  was  glad  that  the 
Rabai  congregation  should  have  an  opportunity  of  wit- 

*  Comp.  what  is  said  on  p.  297  about  the  singing  in  this  part  of 
Africa. 


^t.  37.]  The  Duruma  Country.  381 

nessing  the  solemn  setting  apart  of  one  for  the  office  of 
presbyter." 

The  next  day,  after  early  Service,  the  party  for  the  in- 
terior made  a  great  effort  to  start,  but  failing  to  secure 
sufficient  porters,  they  were  obliged  to  remain  and  re- 
pack many  of  their  loads.  By  leaving  behind  all  their 
comforts,  and  many  even  of  their  barest  necessaries, 
they  were  able  to  leave  Rabai  on  Tuesday,  the  i6th. 
Hannington  writes  to  his  brother  :  "  I  never  travelled  so 
short  before,  nor — to  be  self-righteous — do  I  think  that 
many  would  consent  to  do  the  like." 

The  Christians  assembled  for  prayer.  God's  blessing 
was  invoked  and  they  were  off.  The  route  to  Taita  has 
already  been  described,  and  there  was  little  to  distinguish 
this  march  from  that  undertaken  upon  the  former  occa- 
sion. The  only  special  incident  that  calls  for  mention 
is  that  the  caravan  narrowly  escaped  an  encounter  with 
a  war  party  of  Masai.  These  redoubtable  warriors  and 
inveterate  raiders  are  the  terror  of  the  whole  country 
over  an  area  of  many  hundreds  of  miles.  The  young 
braves  penetrate  in  every  direction,  seeking  pastures  new 
from  which  to  uplift  cattle  and  drive  them  to  their  distant 
kraals.  The  Duruma  country  is  literally  devastated  by 
the  Masai  spear.  The  wretched  inhabitants  are  driven 
to  hide  themselves  in  thorny  tangles  of  impenetrable 
jungle  in  order  to  retain  anything  of  their  belongings. 
Mr.  Thomson  describes  one  spot  not  much  more  than  a 
day's  march  from  Rabai,  where  the  ground  for  a  long 
distance  was  "literally  strewed  with  skulls,"  the  scene 
of  a  battle  with  a  Masai  band. 

It  is  of  a  place  not  far  from  here  that  Bishop  Han- 
nington writes  :  "  The  good  Hand  of  God  was  markedly 
wnth  us.     Had  it  not  been  for  what  we  naturally  called 


382  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  \\ 


the  disappointments  of  the  road,  we  should  have  fallen 
in  with  these  dread  warriors  on  the  war  trail.  They 
passed  our  camp  yesterday,  and  killed  a  man  close  at 
hand.  I  expected  that  the  men  would  have  been  rather 
panic-stricken  by  the  report,  but  no,  they  took  the  mat- 
ter very  sensibly." 

General  Matthews,  the  Sultan's  commander-in-chief, 
was  now  at  Chagga,  the  Sultan  having  acceded  to 
Mandara's  request  that  he  should  extend  to  him  his 
protection,  and  fly  his  flag  over  Moschi.  He  and  his  de- 
tachment had  had  trouble  in  crossing  the  desert-furnace 
between  Taro  and  Maungu,  and  reached  the  wells  of  the 
latter  place  "in  a  state  of  perfect  exhaustion."  The 
Bishop,  however,  got  his  men  over  the  "terrible  plain  " 
on  this  occasion  without  any  special  difficulty,  beyond, 
of  course,  the  great  fatigue  of  all,  and  reached  Taita  on 
the  22d,  or  six  days  after  the  start.  The  little  company 
of  Wa-Taita  on  Ndara  was  still  further  reduced  in  num- 
ber, and  all  the  paths  up  the  mountain  were  overgrown 
with  thorns  and  vegetable  rankness.  The  caravan  had 
literally  to  cut  its  way  through  the  tangle  of  spiked 
grasses  and  jungle  which  barred  all  upward  progress. 

When  here — finding  that  Jumba  Kimameta*  had  left 
Taveta — Bishop  Hannington  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  would  not  himself  proceed  to  Chagga,  but  that  he 
would  send  Mr.  Wray  and  Mr.  Fitch  forward  to  occupy 
that  station,  and  return  at  once  to  the  coast  to  prepare 
for  his  great  journey  northward  to  the  Lake. 

He  had  already  carefully  selected  sites  both  at  Moschi 
and    other   places    where    Stations    might    possibly    be 


*  An  Arab  trader  who  had  greatly  assisted  Mr.  Thomson,  and 
whom  Hannington  desired  to  consult  with  regard  to  his  journey 
over  the  same  route. 


JEt.  37.]  A  Remarkable  Exploit.  383 

founded  ;  he  had  made  every  arrangement  for  the  re- 
ception of  his  representatives  by  Mandara,  and  had  ne- 
gotiated for  the  same  end  with  other  princelets  of  the 
mountain.  Having  laid  his  train  to  the  best  of  his 
ability  and  sought  the  blessing  of  God  upon  it,  he 
thought  that  he  would  be  better  employed  in  hastening 
forward  the  new  expedition  than  in  renewing  his  ac- 
quaintance with  Kilima-njaro.  He,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  deny  himself  that  pleasure,  and  to  return 
without  delay  to  Frere  Town. 

His  return  march  was  a  very  remarkable  exploit,  and 
notably  worthy  of  being  chronicled.  Two  years  previ- 
ously Mr.  Thomson  had  made  a  forced  march  over  the 
same  ground.  He  says  :  "  Leaving  Ndara  we  per- 
formed a  pedestrian  feat  which  probably  has  never  been 
equalled  in  the  annals  of  African  travelling."  Making 
a  great  effort,  he  covered  the  distance  between  Taveta 
and  Rabai  at  the  rate  of  34  miles  a  day.  This  great 
achievement  has  been  since  rivalled  by  Bishop  Han- 
nington,  who  Vv^alked  from  Ndara  to  Rabai  at  the  extra- 
ordinary rate  of  40  miles  a  day.  The  distance,  esti- 
mated to  be  120  miles,  was  accomplished  by  him  in 
exactly  three  days  and  half  an  hour  ! 

But  we  must  let  him  describe  his  own  adventures. 

"  On  June  24th,  the  first  anniversary  of  my  Consecra- 
tion, I  started  homeward  from  Taita  with  a  handful  of 
men  and  just  the  bare  necessaries  of  life,  leaving  behind 
tent,  bed,  bath,  in  fact  every  single  thing  I  could  do 
without.*     Is  this  setting  out  typical  of  what  the  second 

*  He  did  not  wish  to  diminish  the  stores  of  the  caravan  bound 
for  Chagga  more  than  was  absolutely  necessarj',  and  so  took  with 
him  the  barest  provisions  for  his  journey.  The  object  of  this  hot 
haste  homeward  was  to  catch  the  Henry  Wright  before  she  started 
for  Zanzibar,  and  so  save  some  weeks  of  time. 


384  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

year  of  my  episcopal  pilgrimage  is  to  be  ?  I  could  re- 
joice if  it  is,  if  only  the  Lord  continues  to  manifest  His 
guiding  and  protecting  care  as  He  has  done  all  through 
this  journey  ! 

"  We  met  together  and  knelt  in  prayer,  and  then  I  had 
literally  to  run  out  of  the  place  at  7  a.m.,  for  I  was  be- 
sieged with  requests  and  questions  from  the  porters 
whom  I  had  left  to  go  forward.  My  feet  had  got  pain- 
fully blistered  on  the  way  up,  and  this  was  not  a  pleas- 
ant prospect  in  view  of  the  rapid  return  I  hoped  to  make. 
However,  we  had  the  donkey  as  a  last  resource,  and  I 
found  that  after  walking  a  short  distance  the  pain  much 
decreased.  My  donkey,  I  may  as  well  say,  here  as  else- 
where proved  of  but  little  personal  use  to  me,  for  some 
of  the  men  got  blisters  or  thorns,  so  they  had  to  ride  to 
get  them  along  at  all.  The  first  day,  in  spite  of  its  be- 
ing cloudless  and  terribly  hot,  I  covered  thirty-five  miles, 
and  laid  me  down  to  rest  on  the  lap  of  mother-earth. 
But  oh,  she  is  hard  and  ungiving  to  weary  bones  ! 

"The  next  day  walked  another  thirty-five  miles.  I 
had  the  unusual  good  fortune  to  kill  five  guinea-fowl  at 
one  shot,  and  that,  too,  in  the  midst  of  our  worst  desert 
track,  so  we  had  a  good  meal.  Toward  the  end  of  this 
day's  march  I  felt  desperately  weary,  but  we  continued 
till  8  P.M.,  stumbling  along  and  hurting  our  feet  sadly 
over  the  rough  ground.  But  it  was  well  :  it  had  the 
effect  of  making  the  ground  feel  softer  than  the  night 
before.  Then  I  found  it  hard  sleeping  without  a  bed  ; 
this  evening  1  was  far  too  tired  to  think  about  it  at  all, 
and,  in  spite  of  a  heavy  shower  of  rain,  soon  fell  asleep. 

'•'■June  26th. — Off  at  daylight.  On  and  still  onwards  ; 
arrived  at  Samburu  without  difficulty,  but  the  men  now 
began  to  show  signs  of  great  weariness.  Seventy  miles 
in  the  last  two  days  had  told  upon  them,  although  they 


JE\..  37.]  A    Weird  March.  385 

were  carrying  next  to  nothing,  and  the  guinea-fowls  had 
been  a  great  addition  to  their  food.  When  we  entered 
a  camp  at  10.30  a.m.,  though  some  were  more  than  will- 
ing to  march  a  little  farther,  J.  felt  it  to  be  really  unkind 
to  ask  them  to  do  so,  and  therefore  said  that  I  would 
leave  them  to  rest  awhile,  and  march  on  alone  to  the 
coast.  Two,  however,  volunteered  to  accompany  me, 
and  also  a  third,  with  a  big  heart  but  poor  feet,  whom  I 
did  not  accept.  It  was  well  that  I  declined  him,  as  one 
of  the  others  had  to  ride  the  donkey  for  a  time.  I  put 
the  last  two  biscuits,  some  dates,  and  a  little  cheese  into 
a  box,  and  giving  the  men  some  heads  of  Indian  corn, 
away  we  went.  But  we  were  not  to  starve,  for  another 
guinea-fowl  fell  to  my  gun,  and  when  we  halted  at  7  p.m., 
we  cooked  it  in  the  hot  ashes.  One  of  the  men  cut  off 
the  breast  and  handed  it  to  me  in  his  fingers,  all  burnt 
and  covered  with  ashes  as  it  was,  and  I  ate  it  in  my 
fingers — and  was  it  not  delicious  !  Then  I  knelt  down 
and  thanked  God  for  His  mercies,  and,  creeping  into  a 
little  grass  hut,  lay  down  betv/een  the  two  men  and 
rested  for  a  couple  of  hours.  I  couldn't  sleep  because  I 
had  made  my  coffee  myself,  and  had  made  it  too  strong. 
Then  we  shook  ourselves  together  and  started  again,  on 
through  the  night.  It  was  a  weird  march.  The  roar 
of  a  lion  made  the  ground  shake  with  its  tremendous 
thunder ;  and  once  or  twice  we  checked  at  the  cry  of  a 
night-bird,  as  we  neared  the  Avar-paths  of  Masai,  whom, 
with  our  small  party  of  three,  we  had  not  the  slightest 
inclination  to  encounter.  Presently  the  dew  began  to 
fall,  and  I  was  soon  wet  through,  so,  as  we  reached  the 
sixth  camping-place  at  about  4.30  a.m.,  we  halted  and 
lighted  a  large  fire,  at  which  the  men  dried  my  clothes, 
while  I  wrapped  myself  in  my  mackintosh. 

"  We  were  now  all  very  tired  :  the  donkey,  too,  which 
17 


386  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

I  had  been  reserving  for  an  emergency,  showed  signs  of 
fatigue.  However,  apologizing  tenderly  to  him,  I  told 
him  that  I  really  must  have  a  short  ride.  Then  followed 
a  heavy  shower  of  rain,  which  made  the  ground  slippery, 
and  the  donkey  and  I  rolled  over  together  more  than 
once.  But  we  were  now  close  to  Rabai,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  were  welcomed  by  our  astonished  friends,  who 
thought  that  I  was  safe  at  Chagga — 120  miles  in  three 
days  and  half  an  hour  !  I  did  not  stay  there,  as  I  heard 
important  news  about  Mbaruk,  which  required  instant 
attention  ;  so,  after  a  bath,  a  meal,  and  a  nap,  I  walked 
another  five  miles  to  the  boat,  and  a  row  of  three  hours 
brought  me  safe  and  sound  to  Frere  Town. 

"  Everybody  was  amazed  to  see  me.  However,  the  ob- 
ject of  my  journey  appears  after  all  to  have  been  defeat- 
ed, as  the  Hem-y  Wright  left  for  Zanzibar  two  days  ago." 

This  was  enough,  surely,  to  have  tried  the  patience  of 
the  most  stoic  of  mortals.  The  immense  effort  of  the 
last  three  days  had  been  wholly  frustrated  by  an  unex- 
pectedly early  start  of  the  little  Mission  steamer.  He 
seemed  doomed  to  lose  some  weeks  of  time,  and  to  re- 
main gnawing  his  nails  at  Frere  Town  when  his  caravan 
should  already  be  a-preparing  at  Zanzibar.  But,  he 
writes  : 

"  I  refused  to  be  disappointed,  feeling  sure  that  all 
would  come  right,  and,  indeed,  I  am  being  taught  never 
to  be  disappointed,  but  to  Praise  ;  and  now  H.  M.  S. 
corvette  Kmgfisher  most  unexpectedly  steamed  into  the 
harbor,  and  the  captain  offered  me  a  passage.  It  is 
wonderful  how  God  has  appeared  for  me  over  and  over 
again,  and  wonderful,  too,  what  health  and  strength  I 
have  had.  If  all  goes  well,  I  ought  to  be  off  in  three 
weeks'  time  for  Masai  Land." 


^t.  37.] 


Letter  to  his  Children. 


387 


The  Kingfisher  was  upon  an  expedition  after  some 
slave  dhows  reported  to  be  in  the  neighborhood,  and  as 
she  touched  at  Zanzibar,  the  captain  most  courteously- 
placed  a  cabin  at  the  Bishop's  disposal. 

The  last  entry  in  the  June  monthly  diary  is  :  "  Hope 
we  shall  catch  some  prizes." 

"Writing,  writing,  writing";  so  begins  the  diary  of 
the  voyage.  Whatever  spare  time  he  had  was  filled  up 
with  his  now  voluminous  correspondence.  As  one  of 
our  English  Bishops  is  said  to  have  written  most  of  his 
letters  upon  his  knee  in  railway  carriages,  so  Bishop 
Hannington  wrote  many  of  his  in  his  travelling  tent,  or 
bivouacking  by  the  light  of  a  camp-fire,  or  on  board  the 
steamers  which  bore  him  back  and  forth  between  Mom- 
basa and  Zanzibar. 

In  the  midst  of  his  official  correspondence  he  found 
time  for  not  infrequent  letters  to  the  wee  ones  at  home. 
The  following  is  an  example,  with  fac-similes  of  the 
pen-and-ink  sketches  with  which  such  letters  were  gen- 
erally embellished  : 


"  My  dearest  Children, —  ....  I  was  obliged  to 
walk  for  a  long  distance  through  a  Mangrove  swamp. 
Mangrove  trees  are  very 
curious ;  they  let  down 
from  their  stems  and 
branches  many  roots,  which 
bind  them  to  the  soft,  black 
mud,  and  keep  them  from 
being  washed  away  by  the 
tide;  for  they  always  grow 
in  the  salt-water  creeks 
within  reach  of  the  tide 
many  oysters 


On  their  roots  hang  a  great 
In   these   parts  we  almost  always  have 


388 


James  HanninQton. 


[A.D.  \\ 


our  doors  and  windows  wide  open,  so  a  great  many  dif- 
ferent insects  come  flying  into  the  rooms.  There  are 
some  black  hornets  that  come  and  make  nests  of  earth  on 
the  beams.  They  do  not  sting  one,  or  do  any  harm  be- 
yond making  a  little  dust,  which  is  easily  cleared  away. 

They   kill    a   great    many 

caterpillars  and  other  in- 
sects with  w^hich  to  feed 
their  young,  holding  them 
in  this  fashion.  I  rather 
fancy  that  they  sting  the 
caterpillars  first  of  all, 
and  make  them  insensible. 
I  hope  that  you  have  all  been  very  good  and  obedient 
to  your  mother,  and  that  God  has  blessed  you  with 
much  happiness.  I  think  a  great  deal  of  you,  and  am 
always  happy  to  know  that  my  dear  little  pets  pray  for 
their  father  who  is  so  many  miles  away.  God  is  love, 
and  watches  over  us,  although  we  are  absent  from  one 
another.  Love  and  kisses  to  your  dearest  Mother. 
"  I  remain,  sweet  children,  your  very  affectionate 

'*  Father." 


We  may  here  let  the  Bishop  give  some  of  the  reasons 
which  induced  him  to  make  this  perilous  journey  through 
a  land  known  to  be  occupied  by  the  most  lawless  of 
savages,  and  which  had  only  once  been  entered  by  a 
European,  and  by  him  traversed  for  only  part  of  the 
way. 

We  have  seen  that  he  was,  very  soon  after  his  arrival 
at  Frere  Town,  struck  with  the  immense  superiority  of 
the  new  route  into  the  interior,  from  a  health  point  of 
view,  over  the  old  route.  This  opinion  was  confirmed 
by  his  journey   to   Mount  Kilima-njaro.     He  was  over- 


^t.  37.]  New  Route  to   U-Ganda.  389 

joyed  to  find  that  none  of  the  terrors  which  haunted  the 
footsteps  of  the  traveller  upon  the  lower  road — rheu- 
matic and  malarial  fevers  and  dysentery — which  ren- 
dered courage,  strength,  and  determination  almost  nu- 
gatory, were  to  be  feared  upon  these  high  uplands.  Mr. 
Thomson  had  shown  that  the  same  healthy  highland 
country  continued  northward  and  westward  as  far  as  he 
had  penetrated.  His  active  mind  at  once  grasped  the 
idea  that  if  one  had  the  courage  to  open  up  this  new 
route  to  U-Ganda,  and  secure  the  friendly  co-operation 
of  the  natives,  others  might  easily  follow;  and,  the  way 
once  made,  a  large  saving  would  in  future  be  effected 
both  in  time  and  expense,  and,  above  all,  in  valuable 
lives.  Anybody  can  see,  by  a  glance  at  the  map,  the 
advantage  of  the  northerly  route  to  U-Ganda  in  point 
of  directness  ;  and  those  who  have  read  the  account 
given  in  this  book  of  the  Bishop's  first  journey  to  the 
south  end  of  the  Lake,  with  its  weary  record  of  sickness 
and  suffering  and  death,  and  will  compare  it  with  Mr. 
Thomson's  account  of  his  healthy  journey  to  Kavirondo,* 
cannot  but  feel  with  the  Bishop  that  it  was  worth 
while  to  risk  something  to  secure  so  great  an  advan- 
tage. Added  to  this  was  the  prospect,  never  absent 
from  Hannington's  heart,  that  a  new  tract  of  country, 
occupied  by  a  singularly  noble,  if  exceptionally  fero- 
cious, race  of  men,  might  be  brought  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Cross. 

As  early  as  April  21st  he  wrote  to  Mr,  Wigram  with 
regard  to  this  journey  to  Chagga:  "  The  country  through 
which  we  have  passed  is  extraordinarily  healthy,  as  far 

*  Mr.  Thomson's  sickness  upon  his  return  journey  was  occasioned 
apparently  by  over-fatigue  at  Lake  Baringo,  following  upon  a  severe 
accident,  rather  than  by  any  fault  of  the  climate. 


390  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

as  we  can  judge  from  our  own  experience,  that  of  other 
travellers,  and  the  nature  of  the  soil.  There  are  long, 
dry,  waterless  tracts  which  are  difficult — but  not  so 
much  so  as  the  Wa-Nyamuezi  deserts  which  have  to  be 
encountered  on  this  side  of  Uyui — and  the  worst  of  these 
tracts  is  met  with  on  this  side  of  Taita." 

He  then  continues:  "With  regard  to  my  journey  to 
the  Lake  across  the  dreaded  land  of  the  Masai.  When 
up  the  country,  I  made  all  the  inquiry  that  I  could  with 
regard  to  it,  and,  from  what  I  hear,  the  difficulties  are 
not  so  great  as  we  have  been  led  to  imagine.  The  first 
question  which  would  suggest  itself  to  an  ordinary  mind 
is,  Why  take  such  a  journey  when  the  other  road  is  well 
known  ?  The  answer  would  be  :  Fi?-st,  the  old  route  is 
beset  by  special  difficulties  of  its  own.  The  first  month's 
journey  lies  along  a  most  unhealthy  track  ;  then  suc- 
ceeds the  inhospitable  region  of  U-Gogo;  then  the  long, 
dangerous  deserts  of  U-Nyamuezi ;  then,  after  leaving 
Uyui,  there  is  always  great  doubt  as  to  which  road  to 
the  Lake  will  be  open  ;  and  lastly,  there  are  the  two 
hundred  miles  of  water,  with  the  difficulty  about  obtain- 
ing canoes.  Stokes'  caravan  was,  as  you  know,  attacked 
by  robbers,  and  several  men  were  killed ;  and  how 
many  caravans  have  reached  U-Ganda  in  anything  like 
entirety  ? 

"  The  new  road,  on  the  other  hand,  is,  as  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe,  perfectly  healthy.  With  its 
desert  tracts  we  are  already  well  acquainted,  as  they  lie 
early  in  the  journey.  It  should  be,  moreover,  at  least 
six  weeks  shorter  in  point  of  time.  Its  almost  only  danger 
is  the  Masai ;  and  I  have  learnt  that  Swahili  caravans  of 
all  sizes  are  constantly  passing  and  repassing  without 
incurring  much  greater  risks  than  elsewhere. 

"  Now  compare  the  losses,  trials,  expenses,  and  dan- 


■'Et.  37.]  "  To  tJic  Lake  I  must  Go."  391 

gers  of  Wilson's  party  with  those  of  Thomson's  across 
the  Masai.  If  Thomson's  route,  as  he  affirms,  will  not 
be  open  for  fifty  years,  Wilson's  *  ought  not  to  have  been 
opened  for  a  hundred  ! 

"Secondly.  If  this  route  be  opened  up,  our  work  will 
be  much  more  centralized.  We  could  then  work  all  our 
caravans  from  Frere  Town  and  Rabai.  We  could  thus 
give  regular  employment  to  many  of  our  Christian  men, 
and  we  could  keep  a  well-trained  staff  of  responsible 
headmen. 

"  The  present  Station  at  the  south  end  of  the  Lake 
might  then  be  transferred  to  Kavirondo.  Uyui  might 
be  taken  charge  of  by  a  neighboring  Mission,  and 
Mpwapwa  and  Mamboia  treated  as  branch  Missions. 

"  If  this  route  is  to  be  opened,  I  can  see  no  one  but 
myself  at  present  to  do  it.  To  the  Lake  I  must  go,  and 
I  somewhat  dread  the  old  route  of  illness  and  misery. 

"  There  is  the  question  of  hongo  to  be  considered,  and 
there  will  undoubtedly  be  a  large  hongo  to  pay.  But  I 
believe  that  the  shortness  of  the  journey  will  far  more 
than  compensate  for  this." 

Later.  "I  have  just  had  an  interview  with  Sir  John 
Kirk  ;  he  is  anxious  that  we  should  advance,  and  leans 
strongly  to  the  new  road." 

The  following  was  written  to  the  Committee  of  the 
C.  M.  S.  on  May  7th  : 

"  Gentlemen,— I  hear  that  my  first  letter  concerning 
the  journey  across  the  Masai  country  was  not  sent  via 
the  Cape,  and  therefore  should  reach  you  at  the  same 

*  The  Rev.  C.  T.  Wilson,  B.A.,  whose  party  reached  U-Ganda 
in  1877  by  the  route  already  described.  On  this  journey  Dr.  Smith 
died  and  Mr.  Mackay  was  for  some  time  incapacitated  by  sickness. 


392  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

time  as  this.  In  the  interval  matters  have  been  devel- 
oping. I  have  had  more  time  for  counsel  and  consider- 
ation, and  now  I  want  you  to  listen  to  me. 

"  I  appeal  most  earnestly  to  you,  to  my  Commissaries, 
and  to  all  friends  of  Africa,  to  stand  by  me  in  an  effort 
which  I  feel  ought  to  be  made  to  open  up  the  country 
for  the  Gospel  of  Christ  Jesus.  I  want  ;;^i, 000  to  relieve 
you  from  any  extra  burden  which  might  arise  from  the 
journey  ;  and  I  am  sure  that,  even  in  these  troublous 
times,  it  will  be  forthcoming,  and  yet  more,  if  necessary. 

*'  The  serious  part  of  the  matter  is  this  :  I  am  ventur- 
ing to  take  the  responsibility  of  the  action  on  myself,  so 
that  before  this  letter  reaches  )^ou  I  shall,  unless  our 
loving  Father  directs  differently,  be  on  the  road.  I  hope 
I  may  be  able  to  satisfy  you  that  this  course  is  not  so 
blameworthy  as  it  appears  at  first  sight.  I  have  taken 
counsel  with  all  possible  on  the  subject,  and  the  feeling 
of  all,  without  exception,  is  Go,  for  the  time  seerns  come 
to  make  the  attempt. 

"  We  have  v/eighed  the  matter  here  over  and  over 
again.  I  have  had  a  long  interview  with  Sir  John  Kirk 
and  Mr.  Wakefield,  whose  lengthened  experience  of 
Africa  makes  them  most  valuable  counsellors  ;  also 
with  Jumba  Kimameta,  who  so  staunchly  supported  and 
helped  Thomson  ;  with  the  Vice-Consul ;  and  last  night 
the  V.-C.  and  I  were  closeted  v/ith  Martin  (who  accom- 
panied Mr.  Thomson)  for  three  hours  ;  and  Martin  says. 
Go.  Again,  William  Jones  strongly  feels  that  the  time 
has  come  ;  and  further,  the  Sultan's  expedition  under 
General  Matthews  to  Kilima-njaro  seems,  as  far  as  I  can 
tell,  to  be  further  opening  up  the  way. 

"And  now  let  me  explain  why  I  have  not  waited  for 
your  opinion.  The  reason  is  this.  June  is  the  best 
month  for  travel.     Ramadan  begins  on  the  14th,  and,  as 


^t.  37.]  Jumha  Kimameta.  393 

soon  as  it  is  finished,  the  Swahili  caravan,  under  Jumba 
Kimameta,  will  start.  To  this  caravan  I  want  to  attach 
myself.     It  is,  in  fact,  then  or  never,  as  regards  this  year. 

"I  hope,  almost  immediately  after  the  Ordination 
which  should  take  place  on  Trinity  Sunday,  May  31st, 
to  start,  and  take  with  me  Mr.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Fitch, 
and  at  Taita  to  pick  up  Mr.  Wray,  whom  I  hope  to  set- 
tle at  Chagga.  I  want  then  to  join  Jumba  Kimameta's* 
large  caravan,  and  in  his  company,  with  Mr.  Taylor,  to 
proceed  to  Naivasha,  and  probably  thence  to  Sendege, 
in  Lower  Kavir9ndo.  As  to  future  policy,  I  look  forward 
with  longing  eyes  to  a  Station  in  the  heart  of  the  Masai 
country,  at  Ngongo  a  Bagas,  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Lamuyu,  and  to  another  in  Kavirondo  ;  but  for  this  we 
are  not  yet  ripe. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  repent  you  of  your  Bishop,  or 
at  least  wish  that  you  had  clipped  one  of  his  wings  and 
shod  his  feet  with  leaden  soles  ;  but  I  say,  while  I  have 
health  and  strength,  let  me  spend  it  in  this  work.  May 
I  therefore  crave  even  more  energy  and  more  prayer  on 
our  behalf  at  Home  ?  " 

Again,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wigram,  on  May  12th  : 
"  My  hope  is  to  catch  Jumba,  and  a  delay  even  for  a 
telegram    might    set  all  this  wrong.     With    regard    to 


*  After  consideration,  Bishop  Hannington  resolved  to  traved  in- 
dependently of  Jumba.  That  noted  trader  has  acquired  his  influ- 
ence over  the  Masai  by  laying  claim  to  the  possession  of  magical 
powers,  and  practices  rites  in  which  no  Christian  teacher  could  par- 
ticipate, yet  which  his  very  presence  in  the  caravan  must  appear  to 
sanction.  Rather  than  avail  himself  of  such  dubious  assistance, 
and  perhaps,  thereby,  hamper  all  his  after-work,  the  Bishop  deter- 
mined to  do  without  Jumba's  co-operation.  As  the  event  showed, 
he  was  quite  able  to  pass  through  the  Masai  unaided,  and  on  be- 
yond Kavirondo  Jdmba's  name  would  have  availed  nothing. 
17* 


394  James  Hannington.  '  [A.D.  1885. 

expense,  I  hope  that  this  journey  may  really  cost  less 
than  by  the  other  way.  If  I  open  the  road,  we  shall 
save  thousands  of  pounds  in  the  end.  This  time  it  is 
possible  I  may  incur  large  extras.  I  calculate  that  if  I 
go  round  by  the  old  road,  I  cannot  do  with  less  than  a 
hundred  or  more  men  with  their  cloth,  to  take  me  up 
and  down,  and  enable  me  to  remain  a  season  in  U-Ganda; 
and  whoever  is  located  in  U-Ganda  would  require  as 
many.  Thomson's  expenditure  was,  I  know,  enormous  ; 
but  then  his  journey  took  eighteen  months,  and  his  ex- 
pedition was  much  more  elaborately  fitted  out  than  mine 
will  be.  If  the  friends  of  Africa  will  give  me  _;^i,ooo,  I 
believe  that  the  C.  M.  S.  will  be  saved  money  by  the  ex- 
pedition." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  extracts  that  the  only 
serious  danger  of  which  the  Bishop  had  any  apprehen- 
sion was  from  the  Masai.  It  never  entered  into  his  head 
to  suppose  that  his  entry  into  U-Ganda  from  the  North- 
east would  be  opposed.  He  was  not  aware  of  the  alarm 
which  existed  in  the  minds  of  the  tribes  of  Central  Africa 
with  regard  to  a  European  invasion.  He  did  not  know 
that  the  chiefs  were  busily  instilling  into  their  young 
King  Mwanga  the  duty  of  repelling  any  attempt  of  white 
men  to  enter  his  kingdom  by  the  "  backdoor  "  of  Kavi- 
rondo.  Nor  could  he  suppose  that  the  report  of  German 
annexations  had  reached  the  far  interior,  and  excited  the 
people  to  the  verge  of  panic.  For  such  difficulties  as  he 
foresaw  he  made  proper  preparations,  and,  as  he  had  an- 
ticipated, he  overcame  them  successfully,  and  arrived 
without  disaster  at  what  he  had  always  considered  to  be 
the  end  of  the  perilous  part  of  his  journey — the  frontier 
of  U-Ganda. 

No  one,  then,  can  justly  accuse  him  of  rashness.     His 


^t.  37.]  Success  of  his  Plans.  395 

plans  were  laid  with  prudence  and  forethought.  They 
were  carried  out  with  boldness  and  decision.  They 
were  completely  successful.  The  blow  which  struck  him 
down  was  wholly  unexpected.  It  was  as  though  a  bolt 
had  fallen  from  a  clear  sky.  For  the  final  disaster  it 
would,  therefore,  in  presence  of  the  heroic  dead,  not 
only  be  ungracious,  but  unjust,  to  hold  the  Bishop  re- 
sponsible. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE     LAST      JOURNEY. 
(1885.       JULY — OCTOBER.) 

"Can  you  face  this  Olympic  contest?  Are  your  thews  and 
sinews  strong  enough  ?  Can  you  face  the  fact  that  those  who  are 
defeated  are  also  disgraced  and  whipped  ?  "  Epictetus. 

"  He  begrudgeth  not  to  get  a  probability  of  victory  by  the  cer- 
tainty of  his  own  death ;  and  flieth  from  nothing  so  much  as  from 
the  mention  of  flying.  And  though  some  say,  He  is  a  madman, 
....  our  soldier  knows  that  he  shall  possess  the  reward  of  his 
valor  with  God  in  heaven,  and  also,  making  the  world  his  executor, 
leave  to  it  the  rich  inheritance  of  his  memory." 

Fuller  ("  The  Good  Soldier"^. 

The  next  three  weeks  were  spent  partly  in  Zanzibar 
and  partly  in  Frere  Town,  in  hastening  forward  prepara- 
tions for  the  great  journey.  We  have  already  attempted 
to  give  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  trouble  entailed  in 
the  organization  of  a  caravan.  Added  to  the  endless 
work  and  worry  which  falls  to  the  lot  of  every  traveller 
into  the  interior,  was  the  dread  which  the  porters  enter- 
tained of  entering  the  country  of  the  Masai.  Both 
Thomson  and  Hannington  have  proved  that  the  turbu- 
lent and  troublesome  EI-Moran  can  be  dealt  with  by  a 
white  man  without  much  greater  risk  than  other  savages; 
but  the  terror  of  them  lies  like  a  nightmare  upon  the 
minds  of  their  own  countrymen.  These  truculent  young 
blood-shedders  and  cattle-lifters  have  as  fiendish  a  repu- 
tation throughout  Northeast  Africa  as  even  such  blus- 
trous  swaggerers  could  desire.  To  go  to  Masai  Land 
(396) 


-^t.  37.]  Preparations  for  the  Journey.  397 

is,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Zanzibari,  like  going  into  a  sort 
of  Inferno — "  All  hope  abandon,  ye  who  enter  here." 

Bishop  Hannington,  however,  by  dint  of  patience  and 
tact,  succeeded  in  getting  together  about  two  hundred 
porters,  some  for  Chagga,  some  to  accompany  him  to 
Kavirondo,  and  of  whom  he  says,  "  They  were  a  very 
nice  lot  of  men."  Many  of  them,  poor  fellows,  shared 
his  fate,  and  met  their  death  far  away  from  their  homes 
— but  it  was  not  at  the  hands  of  the  dreaded  Masai. 

Mr.  Copplestone,  Vv^ho  joined  his  Bishop  at  Zanzibar, 
and  accompanied  him  back  to  Frere  Town,  writes  to  me: 

"  On  my  arrival  at  Zanzibar  there  were  letters  await- 
ing me  from  the  Bishop,  asking  me  if  I  would  join  him 
in  his  journey  to  U-Ganda,  but  failing  health  prevented 
my  accepting  his  proposal.  We  thought  then  that  he 
was  at  Chagga,  but,  quite  unexpectedly,  while  I  was 
thinking  over  the  content§  of  his  letter,  he  turned  up. 
We  then  discussed  the  whole  question,  and  he  appointed 
me  to  Chagga  to  assist  in  the  formation  of  the  new 
Station.  We  had  many  conversations  with  regard  to  his 
proposed  journey,  and  eventually  he  decided  to  travel 
alone,  so  that  if  he  got  into  any  difficulty  or  trouble  he 
would  not  involve  any  of  his  friends  in  the  result — so 
utterly  unselfish  was  he.  We  then  left  together  for  Frere 
Town,  having  settled  that  I  should  return  to  Zanzibar 
in  about  ten  days  and  bring  up  the  porters. 

"  When,  however,  the  day  came  for  me  to  go  for  the 
porters  and  make  final  arrangements  about  the  caravan, 
he  decided  to  accompany  me. 

"On  our  way  back  to  Frere  Town  I  had  another 
manifestation  of  his  love  and  sympathy,  which  also  re- 
vealed to  me  that  he  felt  some  anxiety  with  regard  to 
his  journey.     We  were  on  board  the  Henry    Wright  in 


398  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

the  Pemba  channel ;  the  night  was  dark  and  stormy. 
The  Bishop  was  lying  on  a  seat  in  the  saloon,  and  I  was 
reading  the  146th  Psalm.  The  Bishop  was  silent  and 
preoccupied.  I  read  to  him  a  few  verses  of  the  psalm. 
When  I  came  to  the  9th  verse,  '  The  Lord  preserveth  the 
strangers,'  the  Bishop  suddenly  exclaimed  with  evident 
relief,  '  Praise  God  ;  He  has  sent  me  His  message  to- 
night. The  Lord  preserveth  the  strangers.  My  poor  men 
are  strangers,  but  the  Lord  preserveth  them.'  The  verse 
came  like  a  direct  message  from  God,  and  a  relief  from 
the  anxiety  which  was  in  that  hour  weighing  upon  him." 

Such  a  reminiscence  is  priceless.  It  reveals  the  man. 
How  many  travellers  are  there  who,  upon  the  eve  of  an 
eventful  journey,  upon  which  hang  great  results  affect- 
ing both  themselves  and  the  cause  which  they  have  at 
heart,  would  let  the  fate  of  their  bearers,  the  human 
beasts  of  burden  who  are  to  carry  their  loads,  weigh 
upon  their  minds  ?  Had  he  been  an  ambitious  man,  his 
thoughts  at  that  moment  would  have  been  quite  else- 
where. Had  he  been  a  mere  Ecclesiastic,  a  man  of  one 
idea,  the  Promoter  of  a  great  Cause,  he  would  not  have 
thought  hundreds  of  such  lives  too  dear  a  price  to  pay 
for  the  attainment  of  his  Object.  But  in  this  man  we 
recognize  something  higher.  He  had  evidently  drunk 
deeply  of  the  spirit  of  Him  of  whom  we  hear  again  and 
again  in  his  letters  as  "our  loving  Father,"  without 
whom  "  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground."  As  Mr. 
Copplestone  well  says:  "Applied  to  him,  the  words  of 
the  Apostle  are  singularly  fitting,  '■Besides  all  these  things 
that  are  withotit,  that  which  cometh  upon  f>ie  daily,  the  CARE 
of  all  the  Churches.'  " 

As  Mr.  Copplestone  refers  to  the  fact  that  he  had  not 
seen  his  way  to  accept  the  Bishop's   proposal   to  ac- 


I 


^t.  37.]  His  Unceasijig  Work.  399 

company  him  to  Kavirondo — as,  indeed,  his  health, 
barely  restored  after  a  prolonged  residence  at  Uyui, 
scarcely  warranted  that  he  should — I  may  quote  here  a 
passage  from  a  letter,  written  shortly  before,  to  Mrs. 
Hannington,  in  which  the  Bishop  mentions  the  subject. 
He  says  :  "  I  am  now  beginning  to  wonder  what  Copple- 
stone  will  do  :  whether  he  will  accompany  me  or  go  by 
the  other  road;  he  will  have  had  time  to  think  it  over  by 
the  day  I  arrive  at  Zanzibar.  It  will  be  a  great  comfort 
to  you  to  think  of  him  as  with  me,  but  my  feeling  is  that 
I  would  rather  be  alone,  as  the  anxiety  is  rather  increased 
than  otherwise  by  another  man,  however  good  he  may 
be.  I  feel  this — that  another  man  could  add  nothing  to 
my  safety.  In  Jesus'"  keeping  I  am  safe.  And  so,  if  you 
hear  that  Brother  C.  takes  the  other  road — well  and 
good  ;  it  will  be  a  race  between  us  as  to  who  will  get  up 
first." 

As  we  have  seen,  the  Bishop,  after  talking  the  matter 
over  with  Mr.  Copplestone,  resolved  to  place  him  at 
Chagga,  instead  of  in  U-Ganda  ;  but  eventually,  his 
health  again  broke  down,  and  he  returned  to  England. 

The  strain  of  this  unceasing  work  was  beginning  to 
tell  upon  Hannington,  but  he  did  not  allow  himself  to 
bend  for  a  single  instant,  lest  he  should  collapse  into 
ruins.  His  great  spirit  kept  him  up.  He  wrote  to  Mr. 
Wigram  from  Zanzibar  : 

"  Mandara  (I  have  had  letters)  turns  out  a  little  trouble- 
some, but  it  is  not  more  than  I  expected,  so  you  must 
not  be  discouraged,  but  believe  that  we  shall  leave  no 
stone  unturned  to  make  matters  succeed.  Mine  is  an 
intensely  arduous  and  anxious  post.  I  long  to  be  in 
telegraphic  communication  with  you,  but  suppose  it  to 
be  impossible.     I  greatly  need  your  prayers  and  all  the 


400  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

support  you  can  give  me  ;  otherwise  I  shall Well, 

never  mind,  I  must  succeed  somehow  or  other,  the  Lord 
being  my  helper." 

He  writes  to  his  wife  in  much  the  same  strain  : 

"  Work,  work,  work.  I  am  nearly  driven  to  death.  I 
have  been  very  much  overdone,  and  was  as  near  as  pos- 
sible to  a  break-down  yesterday  ;  but  to-day  I  am  re- 
vived, and  am  able  to  send  an  excellent  account  of 
myself.  I  was  delighted  to  think  that  you  can  trust  me 
in  His  hands,  who  has  hitherto  led  me  by  the  way." 

On  Thursday,  July  23d,  the  Bishop  led  the  way  out 
of  Rabai  at  the  head  of  a  caravan  two  hundred  strong — 
an  army  of  peace,  yet  marching  to  the  "pulling  down  of 
strongholds."  The  usual  caravan  troubles,  of  course, 
fell  upon  him  during  the  first  few  marches  from  the  coast. 
Many  of  the  porters  enlist  merely  for  the  sake  of  the 
earnest  money,  or  advance  wages  which  are  given  them 
before  they  start,  and  make  up  their  minds  to  desert 
upon  the  first  favorable  opportunity.  The  closest  watch 
has,  therefore,  to  be  kept  upon  them  until  they  have  got 
so  far  inland  that  retreat  is  more  difficult  for  them  than 
advance,  when  they  may  be  trusted  to  proceed  tractably 
enough.  At  first,  too,  being  out  of  condition  and  lazy, 
they  make  every  excuse  to  throw  down  their  burdens 
and  cast  themselves  prostrate  under  the  shade  of  any 
available  bush.  Especially  is  it  a  formidable  matter  to 
get  a  large  caravan  of  porters  across  the  burning  desert 
of  Taro.  The  men  have  no  idea  of  self-restraint,  and 
drink  up  all  the  water  intended  to  last  them  for  two  days 
in  as  many  hours  ;  and  then  have  to  be  driven,  half 
dead  with  the  thirst  that  consumes  them,  to  the  far 
distant  wells.  A  caravan  leader  needs  the  arms  of  a 
Briareus,   and  the  sleepless  vigilance  of   an  Argus,  to 


JEx..  37.]  The  March  to   Taita.  401 

keep  his  men  together  during  the  early  stages  of  a  jour- 
ney into  the  interior. 

Hannington  says:  "Starvation,  desertion,  treachery, 
and  a  few  other  nightmares  and  furies,  hover  over  our 
heads  in  ghostly  forms."  However,  Mr.  Jones,  the 
newly-ordained  native  clergyman  whom  he  had  decided 
to  take  with  him,  proved  a  great  help  and  comfort, 
taking  out  of  his  hand  many  of  the  lesser  responsibili- 
ties of  the  management.  And,  for  the  rest,  he  did  not 
let  these  things  disturb  the  flow  of  his  spirits.  All  the 
way  during  that  march  to  Taita  his  letters  reveal  him 
to  us,  till  we  seem  to  see  him  as  he  strides  ahead  v/ith 
that  springy  step  of  his.  Arms  swinging,  eyes  ever  on 
the  alert  to  notice  anything  new  or  remarkable — now  a 
snatch  of  song,  again  a  shout  of  encouragement — a  leap 
upon  some  rare  flower  or  insect — the  very  life  and  soul 
of  his  company;  while  ever  and  anon  his  emphatic  voice 
would  be  raised  in  the  notes  of  some  old  familiar  tune, 
and  the  wilderness  would  ring  to  the  sound  of  a  Chris- 
tian hymn — 

"  Peace,  perfect  peace,  the  future  ail  unknown  ; 
Jesus  we  know,  and  He  is  on  the  Throne." 

He  writes  to  his  wife  from  Maungu  ;  and  the  tone  of 
this  letter,  which  he  had  reason  to  think  would  be  his 
last  before  he  reached  the  end  of  his  journey,  is  very 
touching  to  those  who  know  how  little  he  was  given  to 
"sentimentalizing  "  in  his  correspondence.  "  I  have  just 
finished  forty-five  miles,  have  cleared  away  the  bushes 
and  lighted  a  fire  with  my  own  hands.  You  must  not 
be  surprised  if  I  am  rather  hazy.  I  have  had  scarcely 
any  food  for  eighteen  hours,  and  have  not  had  a  wash 
for  two  days,  nor  do  I  see  much  chance  of  getting  more 
than  a  *  lick '  for  two  days  more.     I  am  afraid,  hov^'ever, 


402  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

that  hardships  have  not  even  commenced.  God  is  just 
giving  me  a  merciful  rest  after  the  terribly  severe  strain 
I  have  had  to  go  through  during  the  last  twelve  months." 
(His  idea  of  a  "  rest  "  is  pathetic.)  "  How  gracious  God 
has  been  in  giving  me  so  good  a  wife  and  such  dear 
children  and  relatives  !  " 

His  reference,  in  the  same  letter,  to  the  now  near  ap- 
proach of  his  separation  from  his  colleagues  and  plunge 
into  the  unknown  district  is  of  much  interest.  "Every- 
thing I  hear  makes  me  think  that  the  dangers  of  the 
road  are  greatly  exaggerated.  It  is  not  the  danger 
that  I  fear  in  the  least,  but  the  want  of  food,  or  a  suffi- 
cient stock  of  beads,  or  something  of  that  kind,  which 
might  turn  us  back.  I  have  not  been  able  to  take  as 
much  as  Thomson  took,  and  he  found  that  his  store  was 
soon  exhausted.  I  am  not,  however,  conscious  yet  of 
any  neglect  on  my  part,  so  I  am  content  to  leave  the 
issue  in  His  dear  Hands." 

How  correct  was  his  judgment  the  result  has  clearly 
shown.     His  danger  did  not  lie  among  the  Masai. 

He  continues  :  "  I  hope  the  dearest  ones  keep  well — 
as  well  as  their  father  ;  then  they  will  do."  Then  fol- 
lows reference  to  some  friends  who,  he  hopes,  will  for- 
give him  for  not  writing  to  them,  on  the  plea  that  his 
hands  were  very  full  of  business.  '*  I  wonder  if  I  delude 
myself  in  this  respect.  We  sometimes  fancy  we  are  busy 
when  we  are  only  idle.  I  leave  them  to  judge.  God 
bless  them  all."  (Such  words  need  no  comment — but 
they  irresistibly  recall  to  our  minds  the  words  of  the 
Master,  "  When  the  fruit  is  ripe,  immediately  he  putteth 
in  the  sickle,  because  the  harvest  is  come.")  "And  now, 
fare  thee  well,  for  a  time.  You  must  scarcely  venture  to 
expect  another  letter  for  a  month  or  two,  but  just  leave 
me  in  His  Hands." 


^t.  37.]  His  Last  Letter.  403 

A  day  or  two  later,  however,  he  found  another  oppor- 
tunity of  scribbling  a  few  lines  in  pencil  from  Taita.  "  I 
am  hoping,"  he  says,  "  before  long  to  advance  to  where 
I  don't  exactly  know,  but  along  Thomson's  homeward 
route  to  Ndi  and  Ukambani.  Food  seems  the  great  diffi- 
culty, as  the  country  has  not  recovered  from  the  famine." 

But  even  this  was  not  to  be  the  last  letter.     Another 

chance  of  getting  a  word  home  occurred  at  Kikumbuliu, 

and  from  there  he  sent  his  last  lines  both  to  his  wife  and 

to  his  friends  the  workers  at  Frere  Town.    To  the  former 

he  writes  : 

"Kikumbuliu,  Aug.  11,  1885. 

My  Dearest, — There  is  a  remote  chance  of  this  reach- 
ing the  coast.  I  have  found  a  man  who  says  that  he  is 
going  before  very  long,  so  you  may  get  it.  The  burden 
of  my  song  must  be  Praise,  and  the  teaching  of  every 
lesson  has  been  Trust  :  so  comfort  your  heart  during  my 
absence.  But  to  the  journey.  We  left  Taita  on  Thurs- 
day, July  30th,  We  mistook  the  road  a  little,  as  far  as 
I  can  make  out,  and  kept  too  much  to  the  east,  camping 
«)n  the  banks  of  the  Voi.  The  next  day  we  had  intense 
difficulty  in  forging  through  the  bulrush-fringed  banks, 
and  again  took  a  wrong  road,  which  led  us  nearly 
due  west,  but  it  led  after  all  in  the  right  direction,  and 
conducted  us  to  Ndi  (of  Thomson),  where  we  found 
plenty  of  food,  and  were  able,  without  strain  on  our  re- 
sources, to  rest  both  Saturday  and  Sunday.  Here  we 
obtained  a  guide,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  for  on  Monday, 
Aug.  3rd,  soon  after  starting  we  found  ourselves  lost 
over  and  over  again.  The  fact  is,  that  the  famine  has 
decimated  the  country  and  many  of  the  roads  have  per- 
ished.*   We  got  scattered  as  we  forged  our  way  through 

*  The  Rev.  W.  Jones  says :  "  All  is  saddening.     The  Jimba  of 


404  James  Haiinmgton.  [A.D.  1SS5. 

the  dense  jungle,  so  I  took  the  lead,  and  climbing  a  tree 
got  a  survey  of  the  country  ;  and  so  was  able  to  strike 
for  a  mass  of  rock  that  formed  a  landmark.  Finally, 
after  firing  guns  to  collect  the  stragglers,  we  found  our- 
selves together  at  sunset,  after  a  very  fatiguing  day  for 
some  of  us.  The  men,  fortunately,  were  not  overtaxed, 
as  they  rested  while  we  explored  or  broke  through  the 
jungle.  On  the  next  day,  the  4th,  we  made  our  way  as 
straight  as  we  could  across  country,  and  arrived  long 
before  I  had  dared  to  hope  at  the  river  Tsavo.  Here  I 
was  a  little  feverish,  from  over-anxiety  and  v/alking  in  a 
very  hot  sun  through  a  forest  more  shadeless  even  than 
that  of  Taro.  It  is  no  small  thing  to  lose  yourself  in  a 
waterless  desert.  The  Tsavo  is  broad  and  clear,  and  full 
of  fish,  some  of  which  we  caught.  Here  we  struck  the 
main  U-Kamba  road,  which  passes  the  southeast  side  of 
the  Taita  Hills,  so  all  anxiety  about  getting  lost  again 
was  at  an  end. 

"  We  were  told  here  that  v/e  should  not  get  any  more 
water  until  the  third  day;  but  we  had  a  cool  day  for  our 
start,  and  the  next  day  we  quite  unexpectedly  reached  a 
fine  pool.  This  helped  us  along  wonderfully.*  The 
next  two  nights  we  camped  without  water  ;  but  on  Sat- 
urday, Aug.  8th,  we  arrived  at  some  villages  of  the  Wa- 
Kamba.  Here  we  learned  that  food  was  exceedingly 
short.  Anxiety  tried  to  press  upon  me  ;  but  again  the 
good  Hand  of  our  God  was  upon  us,  and  we  got  enough 
to  enable  us  to  rest  there  over  Sunday.  Yesterday, 
'Monday,  the  loth,  we  reached  a  densely  populous  district 
(Thomson's  Nosanga)  where  food  was   plentiful.     An- 

1883  is  not  Jimba  of  1885.  All  its  beauty  is  gone.  AH  its  fine 
sugar-canes  are  gone.  Its  fields  are  turned  into  wild  jungle.  All 
is  dreary  and  desolate." 

*  Note  in  pocket-book  :  This  pool  "  cannot  be  reckoned  upon." 


/Et.  37.]  Marching  under  Difficulties.  405 

other  three  days,  and  we  should  be  at  Ulu;  there  report 
says  people  are  dying  of  famine  :  if  this  is  so  we  shall 
have  difficulty  in  getting  through,  and  there  seems  to  be 
no  game  of  any  sort  to  help  out  the  men.  My  one  fear 
is  insufficiency  of  stuff.  If  I  had  been  permitted  to  start 
with  fifty  men  less  I  should  have  been  more  sanguine, 
but  I  can  see  less  hope  of  retreat.  So,  with  God's  help, 
speedy  advance  must  be  the  word.  I  am  quite  aware 
that  this  is  the  easy  part  of  the  journey,  and  that  far 
greater  difficulties  from  hongo-demanding  natives  are 
ahead,  but  if  this  is  God's  time  for  opening  up  this  road, 
we  shall  open  it  up. 

"  '  We  are  a  little  poor,'  as  Jones  says.  My  watch  has 
gone  wrong.  The  candles  and  lamp-oil  were  forgotten 
and  left  behind,  so  that  the  camp  fire  has  to  serve  in- 
stead. My  donkey  has  died,  so  that  I  must  v^^alk  every 
step  of  the  way.  Well  !  Having  no  watch,  I  don't  wake 
up  in  the  night  to  see  if  it  is  time  to  get  up,  but  wait 
till  daylight  dawns.  Having  no  candle,  I  don't  read  at 
night,  which  never  suits  me.  Having  no  donkey,  I  can 
judge  better  as  to  distances,  and  as  to  what  the  men 
can  do;  for  many  marches  depend  upon  my  saying,  'We 
will  stop  here  and  rest,  or  sleep.' 

"  My  greatest  trial  is  that  I  have  a  very  inefficient  staff 
of  headmen,  and  nobody  with  me  who  really  knows  the 
road.  Of  course,  I  was  assured  before  we  started  that 
many  whom  I  had  engaged  had  been  over  the  road 
again  and  again.  One  man  was  said  to  have  been  over 
it  five  times. 

"  And  now,  just  leave  me  in  the  Hands  of  the  Lord, 
and  let  our  watchword  be,  '  We  will  trust,  and  not  be 
afraid.' 

"  Many  kisses. 

**  Your  most  affectionate  Husband,  James." 


4o6  Jmnes  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

And  here  all  correspondence  ceases.  His  friends  heard 
no  more  of  him  until  that  fatal  telegram  received  from 
Zanzibar  on  New  Year's  Day,  1886  : 

"  Bishop  Hannington,  who  left  Mombasa  in  June  last, 
in  order  to  find,  if  possible,  a  new  road  to  the  Victoria 
which  will  obviate  the  long  detour  by  Unyanyembe,  has 
been  seized  by  order  of  the  king,  within  two  days* 
march  of  U-Ganda.  The  latest  report  is  that  the  king 
has  given  secret  orders  to  have  the  Bishop  executed." 

Happily,  his  own  tiny  pocket  diary,  with  its  daily  jot- 
tings, has  been  recovered  by  a  Christian  lad  at  Rubaga, 
w^ho  bought  it  from  one  of  the  band  that  murdered  him. 
Happily,  also,  his  native  friend,  the  Rev.  William  Jones, 
who  accompanied  him  as  far  as  Kwa  Sundu,  kept  a 
journal,  which  is  now  in  my  hands.  From  these  two 
sources  we  are  enabled  to  gather  much  of  what  oc- 
curred from  day  to  day  almost  until  the  end. 

Mr.  Jones'  pencilled  diary  of  the  journey  is  full  of  in- 
teresting details.  I  wish  that  space  permitted  to  quote 
from  it  more  fully,  but,  as  it  is,  many  of  the  following 
extracts  have  been  condensed.  He  has  written,  as  a 
kind  of  title  upon  the  fly-leaf,  the  words,  "  Behind  my 
Bishop  through  Masai  Land  ";  and  the  tone  of  the  entire 
narrative  abundantly  testifies  to  his  love  and  devotion 
to  "  his  Bishop."  A  testimony,  no  doubt,  to  the  worth 
of  the  man  himself,  about  which  all  seem  to  agree  ;  but 
an  additional  evidence  also  of  the  strange  attractive 
power  which  Hannington  exercised  over  all  who  were 
brought  into  contact  with  him.  When  they  were  leaving 
Taita,  one  of  the  Wa-Zaramo  boys  who  had  been  en- 
gaged to  carry  food  for  the  caravan,  and  who  were  all 
paid  off  and  discharged  near  Taita,  insisted  that  he 
would    follow    the    Bishop.       No    arguments    availed. 


^t.  37.]  Constitution  of  the  Caravan.  407 

"  Whither  thou  goest  I  will  go,"  and  finally  the  poor 
lad  was  taken.  Hannington  did  not  need  painfully  to 
exact  homage  from  his  dependents  after  the  manner  of 
other  mortals ;  it  was  yielded  to  him  spontaneously,  and 
as  his  due. 

Mr.  Jones  describes  in  the  following  manner  the  con- 
stitution of  the  caravan  bound  for  the  Lake.  First  the 
amount  of  goods  (/.  e.,  the  equivalent  of  money),  and 
necessary  food,  etc.  Cloth,  24  loads.  Wire,  51.  (This 
is  greatly  in  demand  among  the  Masai,  and  is  worn  by 
the  women  as  armlets,  leglets,  and  necklets.)  Provision 
boxes,  19.  Powder,  10.  Shot,  i.  Beads,  21.  Baskets, 
5.  Bishop's  personal  luggage,  6.  Fowl  box,  i.  Cook- 
ing pot,  I.  Washing  tub,  i.  Rice,  4.  Beans,  13.  Millet, 
5.  Shells,  7.  Salt,  2.  Dates,  i.  Bishop's  cot,  1.  Biscuit 
boxes,  5.     Jones'  personal  luggage  and  tent,  6. 

The  headmen  of  the  caravan  were  Ibraim,  Arthur, 
Bedui,  Hassani,  Asumani,  and  Kiongozi  (also  the  in- 
terpreter). The  under-headmen  were  Gilbert  Juma, 
Mbaruku,  Mwandzingo,  Tosiri,  Abdalla,  and  Tofiki. 

The  caravan  was  divided  into  three  sections  :  First, 
Zanzibar  and  Mombasa  Mohammedans,  106.  Second,  Ra- 
bai  men,  66.  Third,  Kisauni,  54.  In  all  226  men  ;  the 
Bishop  and  Jones  bringing  up  the  total  number  to  228. 

It  will  be  easily  understood  that  the  feeding  of  such 
an  army  in  a  famine-stricken  district  can  have  been  no 
simple  business.  The  "anxiety"  to  which  the  Bishop 
refers  in  his  letter  was  not  uncalled  for.  It  must  have 
been  a  very  real  relief  when  the  caravan  reached  parts 
in  which  food  was  once  more  obtainable  upon  the  usual 
terms. 

We  may  now,  by  the  aid  of  the  Bishop's  brief  jottings, 
supplemented  by  Mr.  Jones'  diary,  continue  our  nar- 
rative from  the  date  of  his  last  letter. 


4o8  James  Hamiington.  [A.D.  1885. 

Aug.  J  2th. — One  of  the  men  fell  ill,  and  had  to  be  left 
behind,  supplied  with  enough  cloth  to  enable  him  to  re- 
turn home.  "  Poor  fellow  !  he  was  very  sorry  to  part 
from  his  old  companions  in  the  caravan."  The  rest 
started  at  six  a.m.,  and  after  a  hard  march  of  eleven 
hours,  reached  a  fine  stream — the  Kuombi,  or  Kiumbi — 
two  hours  from  which  they  halted.  The  Bishop  writes  : 
"Game  abundant";  and  Jones  describes  how,  during 
the  march,  they  shot  a  number  of  guinea-fowl,  and  sup- 
plied the  camp  with  fresh  meat  ;  he  then  goes  on  to  say: 
"  To-day,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I  saw  the  moun- 
tain of  Kilima-njaro.  It  looked  like  a  large  table  cov- 
ered with  a  great  white  sheet."  On  this  day  a  grave 
misfortune  happened.  The  boy  who  bore  the  medicine 
chest  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  The  Bishop  would  not 
believe  that  the  boy  had  run  awa)^,  nor  did  it  seem 
probable  that  he  would  do  so  in  that  remote  region. 
The  medicine,  too,  could  not  be  dispensed  with  ;  so  he 
offered  six  doti  of  cloth  to  any  man  who  would  find  the 
boy,  and  detached  ten  men  from  his  own  party  to  re- 
trace their  steps  as  far  as  the  last  camp.* 

During  the  whole  of  Aug.  14th,  they  fought  their  way 
through  an  obstinate  jungle  that  lies  between  the  Kia- 
ngeni  River  and  Ulu,  at  which  latter  place  they  arrived 
at  four  P.M.,  and  camped  at  the  foot  of  the  Nzav/i  Hill 
by  the  River  Chamela.  The  country  here  is  beautifully 
wooded,  and  the  climate  temperate,  the  mornings  and 
evenings  being  cold  enough  to  cause  the  Coast  porters 
some  discomfort.  The  people  tried  to  be  troublesome, 
and  wanted  to  exact  a  large  hongo.  The  Bishop  offered 
them   three   doti,   which   they  accepted   scornfully  and 

*  The  search  appears  to  have  been  to  no  purpose.  Hanning- 
ton  writes :  "  I  suppose  I  ought  to  turn  back ;  but  no,  not  yet." 


JEt.  37.]  Blocked  by  a  Mob.  409 

asked  for  more.  He  immediately  ordered  the  hongo  to 
be  taken  from  them,  and  walked  off  to  his  tent.  The 
elders  were  confounded,  not  being  accustomed  to  be 
treated  otherwise  than  with  humble  deference  by  pass- 
ing caravans.  When,  however,  they  saw  that  the  Mzu- 
ngu  (white  man)  was  in  earnest,  they  called  for  the 
interpreter,  and  begged  that  his  master  would  not  be 
angry,  but  would  let  them  have  the  three  doti. 

This  was  repeated  more  than  once  at  different  stages 
of  the  journey  through  Ulu.  On  one  occasion,  when 
the  Bishop  moved  steadily  on,  and  refused  to  listen  to 
their  plaguing  demands,  they  could  not  conceal  their 
surprise  and  bewilderment.  But  they  soon  came  to 
their  senses  when  they  saw  their  hongo  vanishing  with 
rapid  strides  into  the  jungle.  So  much  so  that  one  of 
the  most  importunate  turned  to  Jones  and  said,  "I  was 
only  making  fun  ";  whereupon  he  at  once  replied,  "And 
so,  of  course,  was  I,"  and  matters  were  amicably  settled 
by  the  payment  of  a  moderate  sum. 

Aug.  i6th  being  Sunday,  the  Rabai  men  and  others 
who  were  willing  to  attend  Service  were  summoned  by 
the  sound  of  Mr.  Jones'  whistle.  He  says  :  "  I  preached 
to  them  both  morning  and  evening,  and  we  sang  the 
hymn,  '  Forever  with  the  Lord.'  "  Nor  could  a  more 
suitable  camp  hymn  be  possibly  chosen.  We  may  here 
mention  that  every  day  was  begun  and  concluded  with 
public  prayer. 

On  Aug.  i8th,  at  about  11  a.m.,  their  way  was  blocked 
by  a  mob  of  armed  men.  Mr.  Jones  writes  :  "  They  de- 
manded most  vehemently  that  we  should  not  pass  till 
something  had  been  given  to  them.  Halt,  halt,  they 
cried  ;  if  not,  we  will  fight.  Our  interpreter  trembled 
from  head  to  foot,  and  said  to  me.  Do  not  resist  them, 
or  we  shall  all  be  killed.  On  and  on  I  moved,  followed 
18 


41  o  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  i{ 


by  the  whole  caravan,  threatened  on  every  side  by  the 
infuriated  crowd.     The  bearer  of  the  Union  Jack  trem- 
bled fearfully,   and   heartily  wished   himself   away.     I 
stopped  the  caravan  that  we  might  discover  where  the 
Bishop  was,  for  the  throng  was  so  dense  that  we  could 
not  see  each  other.     By  and  by  the  Bishop  appeared. 
At  the  sight  of  his  lordship  the  barbarians  gave  way 
like  a  cloud  before  the  wind.     They  were  all  amazed  to 
see  the  Bishop,  for  many  of  them  had  never  seen  a  white 
man  in  their  life.    They  stood  thunderstruck  and  gazing 
at  him.     The  Bishop  made  his  way  through  the  crowd. 
Then  many  of  them  resisted  him  with  all  their  might, 
without  any  respect  or  regard  for  his  dignity.     I  was 
close  to  him,  and  began  to  be  anxious  for  his  lordship  ; 
but  he  walked  rapidly  on  quite  regardless  of  their  yell- 
ings  and  ferocious  cries.     Twice  they  barred  our  way 
with  a  human  fence,  and  twice  we  passed  through  them 
to  their  great  astonishment.     The  Bishop  all  this  time 
was  quite  calm,  and  only  smiled  at  all  their  gestures 
and  menaces.     At  last  we  came  to  a  stream  which  di- 
vided one  district  from  another.     They  refused  to  let  us 
pass,  but  the  Bishop  went  straight  ahead,  and  was  fol- 
lowed by  all  the  caravan.     We  arrived  safely  at  Mboni 
toward  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  were  not  sorry  to 
have  reached  a  resting-place.     I  was  greatly  amused  to 
see  the  very  men  who  had  given  us  so  much  annoyance 
an  hour  ago  come  round  to  our  camp  to  barter  and  dis- 
pose of  their  goods.     We  bore  them  no  enmity,  but  ho 
pitably  invited  them  in." 

It  then   appeared   that   one   of   the  men  had   picked 
up  an  empty  ostrich   egg  which  lay  at  the  foot  of  a 
large   tree    by  the  wayside.     This   ^z%  was   a   charm, 
and    hongo    was    demanded   from    the    unwitting    cul-    J 
prit.     As    the    Bishop's    party  were  now  in  a  position 


-^t.  37.]  The  March  to  Ngongo  a  Bagas.  411 

of  security,  the   matter  was  easily  settled  by  a  trifling 
present. 

On  Aug.  19th  they  started  to  try  and  reach  Machako's 
Hill,  but  were  misled  by  some  guides  and  came  short  of 
their  goal.  They  passed  the  night  in  a  deep  valley  about 
six  miles  distant.  "  On  the  way  we  passed  through  high, 
lonely  hills,  which  all  trend  toward  the  north.  It  is  dif- 
ficult to  say  how  beautiful  the  Ulu  country  is.  It  is  a 
country  full  of  water  and  cattle.  All  provisions  are 
plentiful  and  cheap." 

'■''Aug.  20. — Reached  Machako's  Hill.  Densely  popu- 
lated :  pies  much  in  request  ;  beads  will  pass  for  a  few 
things,  and  all  kinds  of  wire.  Climate  suitable  for  Eu- 
ropeans. Very  cold  at  night,  and  the  days  sometimes 
so  cloudy  that  the  sun  is  not  seen  at  all." 

Aug.  2ist  was  spent  in  buying  food  for  three  days,  as 
the  march  to  Ngongo  a  Bagas  is  across  a  plain  where 
nothing  can  be  obtained.  Jones  describes  this  district 
as  "  one  vast  plain  extending  for  miles  westward,  and 
dotted  with  small  hills."  On  these  grassy  prairies  the 
Masai  pasture  their  immense  herds  of  cattle.  Across 
this  plain  they  steered  by  compass,  making  a  straight 
line  for  Ngongo.  The  Bishop  and  his  Chaplain  pres- 
ently sighted  a  rhinoceros,  and  as  the  caravan  wanted 
meat,  they  tried  to  stalk  him.  They  succeeded  in  creep- 
ing within  twenty  yards  of  the  formidable  monster,  so 
dim-eyed  and  so  keen-scented,  and  then  he  seemed  to 
sight  them,  Down  they  both  dropped  into  the  grass. 
"  Fire,  my  lord  !  "  said  Jones.  "  No,"  replied  the  Bishop, 
"  as  he  stands  I  cannot  get  a  good  shot  ;  wait."  It  is 
not  pleasant  to  kneel  face  to  face  with  a  rhinoceros  in 
an  open  plain,  with  the  knowledge  that  if  the  brute 
makes  out  your  whereabouts  he  will  come  thundering 


412  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

down  upon  you  like  an  express  locomotive.  Jones  got 
nervous.  "  Fire,  my  lord  !  "  he  whispered  anxiously. 
But  the  Bishop  would  not,  and  the  two  remained  in 
their  uneasy  position,  as  Jones  says,  "  like  two  devotees 
of  Siva,  with  their  knees  bent,"  before  the  grim  idol. 
At  last  the  great  beast  got  their  wind,  and  dashed  round 
with  a  snort.  The  Bishop  leaped  to  his  feet  and  fired, 
but  failed  to  stop  it,  and,  after  a  short  chase,  had  to  re- 
turn to  the  greedily  expectant  caravan  without  his  rhi- 
noceros steaks. 

A  few  days  later  the  Bishop  had  a  narrow  escape  from 
another  rhinoceros,  which  charged  him  almost  home. 
A  shot  in  the  head  produced  no  effect,  and  the  second 
shot,  which  turned  him,  was  delivered  point-blank  at 
four  yards  distance.  Mr.  Jones  bears  an  admiring  trib- 
ute to  his  Bishop's  perfect  coolness  in  such  situations  of 
danger.  The  plain  Of  Kapte  abounds  with  game  of 
every  kind.  The  whole  caravan  was  held  once  in  aston- 
ishment at  an  enormous  herd  of  zebras,  some  two  thou- 
sand in  number,  the  playful  beasts  careering  back  and 
forth  and  in  and  out,  like  cavalry  going  through  some 
intricate  evolutions.*  Here,  too,  they  sighted  a  herd  of 
elephants. 

Aug.  2^th. — "  Arrived  in  the  evening  at  Ngongo  a 
Bagas."  This  place  is  situated  on  the  borders  of  Masai 
Land  and  the  country  of  the  Wa-Kikuyu.  Here  is  the 
source  of  the  river  Athi.  The  Wa-Kikuyu  inhabit  the 
forest-clad  uplands  which  here  abut  upon  the  plains  of 
the  Masai  country.  Mr.  Thomson,  who  camped  at  this 
spot  for  some  three  weeks  in  company  with  a  huge  car- 
avan of  Swahili  traders,  accuses  them  of  treachery,  and, 

*  The  Masai  do  not  kill  them,  and  they  are,  in  consequence,  ex- 
tremely tame. 


^t.  37-]  '^^^^^   Wa-Kikiiyu.  413 

indeed,  not  without  reason.  He  describes  the  extreme 
precautions  which  had  to  be  adopted  in  protecting  the 
camp  against  a  night  assault,  and  how  the  traders  en- 
trenched themselves  within  a  ditch  and  a  strong  palisade 
of  tree-trunks  before  they  considered  themselves  safe. 
It  is  only,  however,  fair  to  add  that  there  are  two  sides 
to  this  story.  Let  us  hear  what  Mr.  Jones  has  to  say  : 
"  The  greedy  Swahili  last  time  they  were  here,  as  they 
were  in  great  force,  took  advantage  of  the  poor  Wa- 
Kikuyu,  and  when  they  came  down  to  sell  their  goods 
caught  them  and  made  slaves  of  them.  Some  of  these 
were  redeemed  by  their  relations  ;  the  remainder  were 
taken  down  to  the  coast.  The  Swahili  traders  followed 
this  up  by  attacking  the  Wa-Kikuyu  in  their  forest- 
homes,  killing  some  and  kidnapping  others  ;  so  that 
there  is  little  wonder  if  they  have  lost  faith  in  the  Swa- 
hili caravans."  It  seems  clear  that  if  Jumba  Kimameta 
and  his  friends  have  suffered  occasionally  from  this 
forest  tribe,  they  are  only  reaping  what  they  have  them- 
selves sown.  The  Bishop  was  very  anxious  to  hold  some 
intercourse  with  the  Wa-Kikuyu,  but  they  dared  not 
venture  down  to  his  camp.  He  therefore  went  up  to 
them  with  an  escort  of  only  ten  men.  Even  then  he 
failed  to  gain  their  confidence.  So  far  from  attempting 
to  do  him  any  violence,  the  unhappy  Wa-Kikuyu  fled 
before  him  everywhere.  His  camp  was  reduced  to  the 
verge  of  starvation.  With  the  greatest  difficulty,  after 
several  days,  and  by  carefully  divesting  himself  of  every 
appearance  of  being  about  to  use  force,  he  succeeded  in 
buying  a  few  sweet  potatoes,  and  so  staving  off  what 
threatened  to  be  a  real  disaster.  The  men  were  abso- 
lutely without  food,  and  the  camp  resounded  with  their 
wails.  At  last  the  elders  of  the  caravan  were  summoned 
to  a  council,  and,  at  their  recommendation,  the  Bishop 


414  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885 

resolved  to  "eat  muma"*  with  the  natives.  This  he 
attempted  to  do,  but  in  vain  ;  their  fears  were  not  to  be 
allayed.  But  Mr.  Jones  must  tell  his  own  story  :  "  The 
Bishop  returned,  thoroughly  disheartened,  disappointed, 
and  discouraged.  '  Bwana,'  he  said,  '  bring  me  a  gun- 
cap  tin  box.'  He  then  took  all  our  remaining  grain, 
and  measured  it  out.  He  found  it  be  70  small  teacups. 
*  Three  times  that  is  210  ? '  *  Yes,  my  lord.'  '  Well,  call 
the  men,  and  give  each  a  cap-box  full.'  I  summoned 
our  starving  people  together,  and  distributed  the  grain 
accordingly.  After  being  the  whole  day  without  food, 
a  cap-box  full  of  grain  would  seem  to  be  nothing.  But 
to  our  men  it  was  something.  They  all  moved  away  to 
their  fires,  and  ate  with  less  gloom  upon  their  faces. 
Few  of  them,  however,  slept  that  night.  Some  cried, 
'Let  us  go  back.'  Others  asked,  *  Is  this  our  last  place? 
Have  we  been  brought  here  to  die  ? '  Of  course  they 
knew  that  they  could  not  go  back,  and  that  there  was 
no  retreat.  The  camp  was  filled  with  cries  and  weeping. 
The  elders  were  again  summoned,  but  could  recommend 
nothing.  So  the  Bishop  bid  them  again  to  try  and  get 
food  from  the  Wa-Kikuyu  ;  they  were  then  dismissed, 
and  I  whistled  for  our  Rabai  men  to  come  to  prayers. 
After  prayers  the  Bishop  and  I,  as  a  rule,  sit  down  by 
our  fire  and  talk  over  the  day's  work,  and  now  and  then 
peep  into  Thomson's  book,  to  see  what  he  says.  We  are 
very  much  indebted  to  that  author  for  many  good  sug- 
gestions. The  result  of  this  night's  talk  was  that  I 
started  off  early  in  the  morning  with  20  men,  as  the 
Bishop  told  me  not  to  take  more  lest  I  should  alarm  the 

*  This  is  a  ceremony  by  which  friendship  is  supposed   to  be 
sealed.     Blood  is  extracted  fronn  the  arms  of  both  parties  to  the 
contract,  and  a  piece  of  meat  dipped  in  the  mingled  blood  is  eaten       ^ 
by  each.     The  two  then  are  accounted  "  brothers." 


^^-  37-]         Difficulties  xvith  the   Wa-Kikuyu.  41 5 

natives.  I  took  a  few  strings  of  beads,  and  some  cloth, 
and  iron  wire.  We  crossed  the  stream,  made  our  fire 
upon  a  rock,  and  sat  down.  Like  Heralds  at  Ear-Gate, 
we  fired  our  guns  as  a  salute,  though  we  could  see  no 
one  through  the  impenetrable  undergrowth.  After  wait- 
ing two  hours,  a  single  man  came  out  from  the  forest, 
with  fresh  leaves  in  his  hand,  as  a  mark  of  submission 
and  peace.  We  also  plucked  leaves  and  waved  them, 
after  which  he  drew  near.  He  said  the  Chief  was  close 
by,  and  wanted  to  know  whether  we  had  come  to  fight 
or  to  bu)'  grain.  We  explained,  and  the  man  flew  to  his 
friends,  to  tell  them  that  we  wanted  to  buy  food  and  not 
to  fight.  Three  men  next  stepped  out  of  the  wood,  told 
us  the  Chief  was  coming,  and  disappeared.  Then  the 
Chief  came  toward  us,  a  man  of  about  fifty  years  old, 
and  half-drunk,  reeling  to  and  fro  like  a  ship  in  a  storm. 
He  first  spat  in  his  hand,*  and,  with  its  filthy  contents 
streaming  down,  this  savage  potentate  shook  hands  with 
me.  I  was  not  at  all  inclined  to  reach  my  hand  to  him, 
but  it  could  not  be  helped.  I  asked  to  eat  muma  with 
him  and  his  people,  after  which  I  would  give  him  the 
present  I  had  brought  for  him.  They  refused  to  eat 
muma  with  us,  and  clamored  for  the  presents,  which  I 
gave  them  ;  after  that  they  promised  to  bring  food  for 
sale.  Off  they  went,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  buying 
and  selling  began.  Trade  had  scarcely  become  brisk, 
however,  when  the  natives  showed  signs  of  hostility. 
They  threatened  us  from  a  distance  with  their  shields, 
throwing  arrows  in  our  direction  and  brandishing  their 
swords.  We  took  no  notice,  though  I  kept  my  eye  upon 
them.     But,  as  arrow  after  arrow  was  thrown  at  us,  I 

*  Spitting  upon  a  stranger  in  this  district  is  a  mark  of  friendship, 
and  the  highest  compUment. 


4i6  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

gave  orders  to  the  men  to  hold  their  guns  in  readiness, 
which  they  did.  The  Wa-Kikuyu  shouted,  and  made 
the  women  who  were  selling  return  back.  The  children 
all  fled.  None  remained  but  men,  who  all  began  to  yell 
and  throw  their  arrows  at  us.  My  men  were  panic- 
stricken.  We  had  a  dense  jungle  behind  us,  and  some 
of  them  retreated  into  it,  which,  of  course,  encouraged 
the  natives.  They  drew  closer,  and  their  poisoned  ar- 
rows fell  among  us.  I  told  the  men  not  to  fire,  and  we 
retreated  slowl}^  with  the  food  we  had  bought,  keeping 
our  faces  toward  the  enemy,  lest  our  backs  should  be 
turned  into  targets.  Happily,  they  did  not  follow  us 
into  the  jungle.  With  our  guns  we  were  more  than  a 
match  for  them,  had  v/e  chosen  to  fire  ;  but  I  felt  that  I 
should  do  nothing  which  would  grieve  the  Bishop  and 
give  our  caravan  a  bad  name.  I  picked  up  eight  poi- 
soned arrows  that  fell  am.ong  us. 

''When  I  reported  myself  to  the  Bishop,  I  found  that 
the  Masai  had  come  into  camp.  They  had  just  found 
us  out,  and  wanted  presents.  They  promised  to  bring 
ngombe  (cattle)  for  sale  next  day.  In  the  evening,  the 
Bishop  called  the  elders  together  and  told  them  that  he 
did  not  consider  that  the  danger  from  the  Wa-Kikuyu 
was  anything  great,  and  he  would  go  the  next  day  armed 
only  with  his  umbrella  and  encounter  them.  From  this 
we  with  much  difficulty  dissuaded  him,  and  the  next  day, 
August  31st,  a  hundred  men  left  the  camp  with  orders 
to  go  and  buy  food.  After  a  few  volleys  the  Wa-Kikuyu 
came  down  in  great  numbers,  and  a  brisk  market  began. 
This  looked  better.  We  really  thought  our  troubles 
were  going  to  end  ;  so  I  went  hunting  with  three  men, 
and  left  all  buying  food  as  fast  as  they  could.  When  I 
returned,  some  hours  later,  the  Bishop  called  me,  and  I 
saw  at  once  that  something  was  wrong.     As  soon  as  I 


JEt.  37.]  More  Difficulties.  417 

entered  the  tent  I  saw  a  Zanzibar  man  with  two  sword 
cuts  upon  his  thigh  and  several  wounds  upon  his  body. 
Another  man  had  his  skull  fractured  with  a  club.  I  was 
not,  I  confess,  much  surprised.  There  had  been  an  at- 
tempt to  steal,  and  our  men  had  lost  their  heads  and  got 
roughly  handled. 

"  The  men  were  now  all  very  anxious  to  get  away,  but 
the  Bishop,  who  knew  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  ad- 
vance further  to  the  North  unless  we  succeeded  in  get- 
ting a  supply  of  food,  insisted  that  another  effort  should 
be  made.  The  elders  of  the  caravan  were  again  taken 
into  consultation,  and  signified  their  readiness  to  abide 
by  what  the  Bishop  might  determine.  On  Tuesday, 
Sept.  I,  therefore,  he  started  with  a  hundred  men  to  re- 
open negotiations  with  these  abominable  Wa-Kikuyu. 
The  presence  of  the  Bishop  made  them  behave  somewhat 
better,  but  by  and  by  one  of  the  headmen  saw  a  man 
making  off  with  his  upper  garment,  and  ran  after  him, 
firing  a  charge  without  a  bullet  to  stop  him.  Immedi- 
ately the  market  broke  up  and  the  Wa-Kikuyu  fled  in  all 
directions  into  the  jungle.  Our  men  seeing  this,  rushed 
forward  to  seize  their  goods.  But  the  Bishop,  seeing 
what  would  follow  if  the  men  were  allowed  to  do  what 
they  pleased,  ran  and  stood  where  the  natives  had  piled 
their  salable  things,  and  prevented  any  of  our  men  from 
snatching  them.  He  then  ordered  the  men  to  march 
home  and  leave  him  there  alone.  Presently  a  native 
peered  out  of  the  thicket,  and,  when  the  Bishop  beckon- 
ed to  him,  drew  near,  and  the  Bishop  gave  all  the  goods 
belonging  to  his  people  into  his  hands,  and  then  returned 
to  camp,  very  angry  with  our  men.  But  for  their  disobe- 
dience the  market  might  have  been  continued  muchlonger. 
The  man  who  fired  at  the  native  had  his  gun  taken  from 
him,  and  was  severely  reprimanded.  He  was  afterwards 
18* 


41 8  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

forgiven  at  the  intercession  of  the  elders  in  behalf  of 
their  brother.  A  gun  taken  from  the  Wa-Kikuyu  was 
also  returned  to  them. 

"  On  Sept.  2d  the  Bishop  went  out  again  with  seventy 
men.  This  time  he  determined  to  purchase  everything 
himself.  When  the  natives  came  down,  he  concentrated 
our  men  in  one  spot,  from  which  he  forbade  them  to 
move,  while  he  bought  what  was  necessary.  So  things 
went  for  a  while  very  smoothly,  though  our  famishing 
men  were  hard  to  restrain  ;  till  suddenly  the  cry  of  Masai 
was  raised,  and  a  number  of  warriors  leapt  from  the 
jungle  with  spears  and  shields.  It  was  a  false  alarm, 
but  the  Wa-Kikuyu  took  fright,  and  again  the  market 
was  stopped.  The  Bishop  returned  weary  and  disgusted. 
The  men  were  daily  growing  weaker  and  weaker.  It 
would  soon  be  impossible  to  move  from  this  place  either 
forward  or  backward.  The  same  tactics  were,  however, 
patiently  adopted  during  the  next  three  days.  The  ap- 
parently desolate  forest  was  in  reality  swarming  with 
the  Wa-Kikuyu;  but  they  live  in  impenetrable  fastnesses. 
Even  the  Swahili  traders,  with  all  their  pretences,  have 
not  succeeded  in  peeping  into  their  huts,  and  the  formid- 
able Masai  cannot  cope  with  them  in  the  recesses  of 
their  own  forest  highlands.  On  Monday,  the  7th,  a  more 
successful  attempt  was  made  to  purchase  food.  The 
Bishop  again  went  out  with  about  a  hundred  men,  whom 
he  caused  to  sit  in  a  circle  while  he  dealt  with  the  na- 
tives. The  plain  was  soon  crowded  with  the  Wa-Kikuyu, 
who  pressed  in  on  every  side.  Our  men,  who  had  no 
trust  in  them,  laid  each  his  loaded  gun  by  his  side.  It 
was,  however,  almost  impossible  to  prevent  things  from 
being  stolen  by  these  thievish  people.  The  Bishop  had 
great    confidence   in   natives,*  and    believed    that   they 

*  He  writes  :  "  They  never  attempt  to  offer  me  the  slightest  show 


^t.  37-]  Dealing  with  a  Difficult  Case.  419 

would  not  try  to  kill  a  European  ;  but  he  was  to-day 
roughly  undeceived  ;  for  the  men  who  had  completed 
their  own  sales  began  to  assume  a  defiant  attitude,  and 
raised  their  war-cry.  The  women  at  once  fled.  The 
Bishop  ran  to  the  front  and  waved  some  grass  in  token 
of  peace,  and  for  a  time  order  was  restored.  Looking 
round,  however,  he  saw  a  group  of  men  close  behind 
him,  with  their  bows  bent,  and  on  the  point  of  shooting. 
When  they  caught  his  eye  they  retreated.  We  had  by 
this  time  purchased  enough  to  make  a  move,  and  so, 
after  a  fortnight's  delay,  and  being  brought  to  the  verge 
of  starvation  by  these  provoking  Wa-Kikuyu,  we  packed 
up  our  goods,  and  on  Tuesday,  the  8th,  resumed  our 
march  to  Mianzini." 

The  foregoing  extract  from  Mr.  Jones'  diary  affords  a 
good  illustration  of  the  patience  and  cool  courage  with 
which  Bishop  Hannington  would  encounter  a  serious 
difficulty.  It  is  a  no  less  remarkable  instance  of  the 
method  which  he  consistently  adopted  in  dealing  with 
the  natives.  He  was  determined,  at  all  cost,  to  win 
their  confidence,  and  to  teach  them.,  by  firm  and  just 
treatment,  that  the  good  faith  of  a  Christian  might  be 
implicitly  relied  upon.  On  this  occasion,  he  had  to  deal 
with  a  case  of  unusual  difficulty.  Not  only  were  the 
natives  of  a  peculiarly  timid,  treacherous,  and  wolfish 
nature,  but  they  had  been  accustomed  to  have  to  do 
with  the  slave-taking  Swahili  traders,  and  to  hold  inter- 
course with  their  caravans  much  as  a  pack  of  shrinking, 
snarling  jackals  might  try  to  snatch  a  mouthful  in  the 
presence  of  the  lion. 

of  insult.  Half  a  mile  from  our  men,  I  was  not  unfrequently  alone 
with  them  ;  while,  if  a  black  man  is  with  me,  it  is  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  that  they  keep  their  hands  off  him,  nearly  stabbing  him  at 
my  side." 


420  James  Hanningtoii.  [A.D.  1885. 

On  Tuesday,  Sept.  8th,  the  long  caravan  was  again  in 
motion.  The  greatest  care  had  now  to  be  taken  to  guard 
against  an  attack  from  the  rear.  The  path  skirted  the 
forest  for  a  long  distance,  and  every  bush  concealed  a 
lurking  foe.  Mr.  Thomson's  caravan  was  here  set  upon 
and  very  roughly  treated,  while  some  of  his  cattle  were 
killed.     Mr.  Jones  writes  : 

'*  As  we  were  descending  a  steep  track,  a  rush  was 
made  upon  the  sick,  who  were  being  carried  in  the  rear, 
by  a  host  of  Wa-Kikuyu.  The  men  in  charge  of  the  sick 
fled,  but  they,  strange  to  say,  revived  and  flew  for  their 
lives,  escaping  with  a  few  blows  from  clubs.  When  we 
heard  the  alarm,  the  Bishop  and  some  of  our  men  ran 
back  to  the  scene  of  action,  and  a  volley  put  the  enemy 
to  flight.  At  the  end  of  the  plain  there  is  a  fine  tree, 
toward  which  all  our  men  at  once  made,  to  rest  beneath 
its  shadow.  They  had  scarcely  sat  down  when  they 
were  attacked  furiously  by  an  enemy  worse  than  the 
Wa-Kikuyu  A  vast  swarm-  of  bees  came  down  from  the 
tree,  and  settled  upon  the  caravan  in  thousands.  The 
men  ran  for  their  lives,  many  of  them  dropping  their 
loads.  The  bees  covered  the  ground  for  some  two  hun- 
dred yards  in  every  direction  from  the  tree.  The  Bishop 
bid  the  men  who  had  dropped  their  loads  return  and 
fetch  them  ;  but  though  they  tried,  they  found  it  simply 
impossible  to  do  so  ;  many  of  them  actually  cried  like 
children,  and  called  upon  their  mothers  ;  every  one  was 
stung  more  or  less.  The  Bishop  made  the  attempt  to 
reach  the  deserted  loads  himself,  but  was  driven  back. 
He  then  draped  himself  in  his  mosquito  curtains  and 
tried  again,  but  before  he  got  the  loads  he  was  stung 
most  pitifully.  My  own  eyes  were  so  closed  by  the 
swelling  from  stings  that  I  was  almost  totally  blind  for 
two  days." 


^t.  37.]  The  Alasai  Warriors.  421 

On  Wednesday,  Sept.  9th,  they  crossed  the  River 
Kedong.  Mr.  Jones  continues  :  "  We  slept  in  a  Masai 
kraal  for  the  first  time.  The  kraal  caught  fire  owing  to 
the  carelessness  of  the  men,  and  we  were  burnt  out." 

On  Sept.  loth  they  camped  within  sight  of  Lake  Nai- 
vasha.  The  next  day  they  were  introduced,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  that  lake,  to  the  notorious  Masai.  Mr.  Jones 
writes  :  "  Though  their  name  is  a  terror  to  all  surround- 
ing countries,  yet  in  their  own  land  they  are  not  so 
savage.  The  married  men  are  hospitably  inclined  to- 
ward strangers,  and  if  the  hongo  is  paid  m  time  all  is 
peace  and  pleasantness.  As  soon  as  we  reached  Nai- 
vasha,  we  were  surrounded  by  the  young  warriors,  whom 
they  call  El-Moran  ;  it  is  from  these  that  trouble  comes. 
I  said  to  the  Bishop  that,  after  all,  they  did  not  seem  to 
be  so  bad  as  they  had  been  described.  '  Wait,'  said  he, 
'you  have  not  seen  them  yet.' 

"The  morning  of  Sept.  12th  broke  most  gloriously, 
but  little  peace  was  in  store  for  us.  By  7  a.m.  our  camp 
was  filled  with  Masai  women,  bringing  all  kinds  of  things 
for  sale.  They  talked  and  trafficked  with  our  people 
most  freely.  As  they  poured  into  the  camp,  they  brought 
with  them  swarms  of  flies.  We  soon  found  that  our 
boma  (fence)  was  too  weak  ;  but  that  could  not  now 
be  remedied.  The  El-Moran,  too,  began  to  flock  in,  and 
to  sing  war  songs  and  shout  vociferously.  The  El-Moran 
is  an  idle  creature,  who  looks  upon  himself  as  born  into 
the  world  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  shed  blood.  He 
regards  all  the  other  tribes  as  infinitely  beneath  hiin. 
He  expects  to  be  treated  with  great  respect  and  con- 
sideration by  all  the  caravans  which  enter  his  country, 
and  regards  the  coast  porters  with  huge  contempt.  His 
body  is  smeared  with  red  earth,  and  an  oil  called  mbuu; 
his  hair  is  twisted  into  tails  which  hang  down  his  fore- 


422  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

head  and  shoulders.  He  possesses  a  fine-shaped  head, 
which  approaches,  in  many  respects,  that  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon,  though  his  cheek-bones  are  very  high  and  prom- 
inent. As  a  rule,  the  El-Moran  is  tall,  and,  as  he  lives 
on  nothing  but  flesh  and  milk,  his  body  is  remarkably 
strong  and  solid.  He  lives  in  a  separate  kraal,  with  his 
girl  companions  of  his  own  age.  At  this  stage,  the  El- 
Moran  has  no  thought  of  marriage,  till  his  time  as  a 
warrior  is  served  out.  He  does  not,  generally,  marry 
until  about  thirty  years  of  age,  after  which  he  lays  down 
his  spear,  and  counts  himself  unfit  for  the  field.  The 
only  nation  he  regards  with  any  respect  is  the  European. 
He  calls  the  white  man  Ngai,  which  may  be  said  to  mean 
a  son  of  the  gods.  He  is  not  an  atheist,  but  worships 
the  Supreme  Being.  When  a  caravan  arrives,  El-Moran 
comes  with  great  pride  and  dignity  of  demeanor  to  de- 
mand a  hongo,  which  has  to  be  given,  or  mischief  will 
soon  follow.  About  a  thousand,  or  even  three  thousand, 
of  these  El-Moran,  and  their  girl  consorts,  live  together 
in  a  circular  kraal.  They  never  go  about  alone  either 
at  home  or  to  the  battle-field,  but  by  twos.  It  is  con- 
sidered shameful  and  degrading  that  an  El-Moran  should 
return  alive  if  his  chosen  companion  has  been  killed  in 
battle. 

"  Such  are  the  Masai  as  young  warriors  ;  but  as  soon 
as  they  marry  they  put  off  their  fierceness  and  settle 
down  to  a  peaceful  life.  They  are  no  longer  ferocious, 
bloodthirsty,  and  turbulent,  but  are  very  remarkably 
kind  to  strangers,  and  especially  to  any  women  v/ho  may 
be  in  a  caravan.  They  go  about  shaking  hands  most 
heartily  with  the  foreigners,  and  are  fond  of  entering 
into  conversation  with  them."  So  writes  Mr.  Jones,  and 
his  words  form  an  interesting  addition  to  what  Mr. 
Thomson    has  written   on  the  same   subject.     He  con- 


A    MASAI    WARRIOR   (EL-MORAN). 


^t.  37.]  Demanding  Hongo.  423 

tinues  :  "  How  to  bring  the  knowledge  of  God's  truth 
to  this  nomadic  tribe — but^  the  time  will  come."  Mr.  Jones 
and  the  interpreter  approached  the  group  of  young 
braves  seated,  each  with  his  broad-bladed,  glittering 
spear  stuck  in  the  ground  by  his  side.  "  They  arrogant- 
ly told  us  that  they  were  the  young  warriors  of  the 
Masai,  and  had  come  to  demand  a  hongo  from  the 
foreigners.  The}^  sneered  at  us  when  we  tried  to  reduce 
the  enormous  tax  they  wished  to  extort  from  us.  I  told 
the  trembling  interpreter  to  say  that  I  was  not  in  a  posi- 
tion to  offer  more  than  my  Bishop  had  set  apart  for  the 
purpose.  No  sooner  did  they  see  the  presents  than  they 
all  sprang  up  as  if  in  a  towering  rage,  moved  back  a  few 
yards,  and  again  sat  down.  '  We  will  show  you  how  to 
respect  us,'  they  cried.  The  interpreter  was  dreadfully 
frightened,  and  his  body  seemed  to  shake  from  head  to 
foot.  '  Why,'  said  he,  with  his  two  hands  stretched  out 
imploringly  to  me,  *  why  not  give  them  what  they  want  ? ' 
The  present  refused  consisted  of  forty  coils  of  iron  wire, 
six  pieces  of  calico,  and  forty  strings  of  white  and  blue 
beads.  More  and  more  of  the  young  warriors  poured  in 
upon  us,  and  the  situation  seemed  to  be  getting  critical 
I  went  in  to  the  Bishop,  and  told  him  that  we  were 
having  difficulty  with  the  warriors,  so  he  came  out  him- 
self and  tried  to  reason  with  them.  They  most  mso- 
lentl}?^  replied  that  they  did  not  care  whether  he  were  a 
Swahili  or  a  European  ;  what  they  wanted  was  their 
hongo,  and  that  they  meant  to  get.  On  such  occasions 
the  Bishop  was  wont  to  take  matters  most  patiently,  and 
patience  was  sorely  needed  now.  The  whole  camp  was 
in  trouble.  The  Masai  men  and  women  thronged  ever}'-- 
where,  till  our  own  people  were  not  visible  among  them; 
so,  after  some  discussion,  the  Bishop  yielded,  and  more 
goods  were  given  to  these  hungry  wolves.     They  were 


424  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

now  satisfied  ;  but  a  few  more  beads  were  still  asked  for 
as  a  gift,  which  the  Bishop  gave  to  them.  At  about  10 
A.M.  a  second  gang  turned  up,  and  began  shouting  to  us 
from  without  the  stockade.  They  had,  it  appeared,  come 
from  a  different  quarter,  and  wanted  the  same  hongo  as 
the  first.  Abdallah  and  a  few  others  were  busy  in  my 
tent  cutting  the  wire  and  cloth  and  arranging  the  loads, 
and  by  and  by  we  paid  oft'  this  second  detachment.  It 
was  now  midday.  The  Bishop  had  not  had  an  instant 
to  rest.  His  tent  was  stormed  by  Masai  elders,  who 
seated  themselves  upon  everything.  The  boys  did  not 
know  what  to  do.  Nobody  dared  to  tell  a  Masai  to 
move.  My  own  tent  was  guarded  at  both  entrances, 
but  they  peeped  under  the  flaps,  and  pulled  out  what- 
ever they  could  lay  hold  of.  Everywhere  they  were 
pilfering.  Whenever  the  men  tried  to  resist  them  they 
pointed  their  spears  at  them.  Ail  got  nervous;  all  were 
hungry,  but  none  dared  to  sit  down  and  eat.  Our  visitors 
began  to  tear  open  the  loads  and  turn  over  the  boxes, 
while  the  guards  were  shamefully  handled.  I  could  not 
sit  for  a  minute ;  my  heart  would  not  let  me  rest. 
Every  moment  I  anticipated  an  attack.  Our  men  were 
all  on  tenter-hooks  of  apprehension.  The  Bishop  him- 
self was  puzzled  and  confused.  His  tent  was  filled. 
The  chair,  the  cot,  the  wash-tub,  bags,  biscuit-boxes — 
all  held  Masai.  One  could  not  go  through.  The  cloth 
of  the  tent  was  spoiled  by  the  red  earth  and  oil  v/ith 
which  their  bodies  were  daubed,  and  everything  was 
more  or  less  smeared  with  it. 

"  The  Bishop  retreated  to  a  tree  and  sat  down  upon 
his  stool.  Soon  the  guards  over  our  goods  began  to 
disperse  through  the  pressure  upon  them  ;  my  boy  As- 
sumani  was  fast  getting  mad  in  trying  to  keep  people 
out  of  my  tent.     The  iron   pegs  of  the   Bishop's   tent 


^t.  3/.]  The  Thieving  Masai.  425 

were  being  pulled  up  and  stolen.  A  Masai  seated  him- 
self behind  Pinto  the  cook,  and  coolly  stole  a  table- 
knife.  He  was  running  off,  when  I  saw  him  and  gave 
chase,  and  with  difficulty  got  it  back.  Suddenly  the 
guards  shouted,  *  A  load  of  wire  is  going,'  and  a  group 
of  young  warriors  was  seen  bearing  it  off  among  them, 
none  daring  to  resist  them.  I  ran  after  them,  and  fling- 
ing myself  into  their  midst,  dashed  the  load  to  the 
ground  without  regarding  their  threatening  spears. 
They  were  greatly  astonished,  but  then  gave  way,  and  I 
bore  the  load  back  in  triumph  to  camp.  One  of  our 
men  got  his  head  cut  open  with  a  spear  thrust ;  another 
had  his  clothes  taken  ;  but  I  saw  the  thief,  and  made 
him  return  the  garment. 

"  A  thii'd  gang  of  warriors  now  appeared,  and  were 
chanting  their  mournful  songs.  The  Bishop  asked  me 
to  return  and  settle  with  them,  and  when  I  came  back 
to  him  I  was  utterly  surprised  to  see  two  ancients  seated 
with  him  and  conversing  in  the  most  serious  mood.  I 
brought  the  interpreter  and  left  them  together.  It  was 
now  3  P.M.,  and  we  all  looked  toward  the  sun  and  longed 
that  it  should  go  dov/n.  No  day  surely  passed  so  slowly 
as  that  day.  The  third  gang  was  satisfied  ;  but  now  the 
Masai  seemed  bent  on  robbery.  They  threatened  our 
men  with  their  spears,  and  teased  and  insulted  every- 
body. All  of  a  sudden  a  cry  was  raised  that  the  women 
should  leave  the  boma.  They  at  once  retreated,  and 
the  El-Moran  stood  to  their  spears.  As  many  of  our 
men  as  were  bold  enough  held  their  guns  in  readiness, 
but  more  than  half  of  our  strength  v/as  away,  as  the 
men  were  hunting  by  the  lake.  Happily  the  riot  was 
quelled    somehow,    and    nothing   came    of    it.*     Lastly 

*  The  Bishop  writes:  "  I  strove  in  prayer,  and  each  time  trouble 
seemed  to  be  averted." 


426  James  Hannington,  [A.D.  1885. 

came  the  '  doctor.'  *  The  old  and  the  young  have  got 
their  hongo.  Where  is  mine  as  doctor  of  the  nation  ? ' 
said  he,  defiantly  smiling.  After  almost  endless  discus- 
sion he  was  paid  off.  Then  another,  who  declared  that 
he  had  been  useful  in  some  way  or  another,  put  in  a 
claim.  More  discussion,  and  he  at  length  was  satisfied. 
Then  the  Masai  boys  had  to  receive  strings  of  beads.* 
....  Hungry  and  thirsty  the  Bishop  and  I  sat  down  to 
our  evening  meal.  The  place  at  length  seemed  clear. 
But  no,  our  friends  came  in  to  see  us  eat.  They  touched 
and  befouled  everything  eatable  with  their  filthy  fingers. 
We  were  at  our  wit's  end.  It  was  not  till  dark  that  we 
finally  cleared  the  camp." 

The  Masai  were  pleased  to  express  their  admiration 
of  the  Bishop,  notv/ithstanding  their  scurvy  treatment 
of  him.  As  they  examined  him  closely,  stroked  his  hair 
and  smoothed  his  beard,  and  then  drew  back  to  contem- 
plate his  manly  and  well-set  figure,  rivalling  their  own 
tall  race  in  height,  they  would  murmur,  "  Lumuruo 
Kito  ! "  (a  very  great  old  man!)  It  is  possible  that 
much  of  their  teasing  and  besmirching  attention  was 
intended  as  a  compliment,  but  if  so,  it  was  a  species  of 
compliment  that  would  soon  have  rendered  the  life  of 

*  The  Masai  boys,  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  are  called  El-Aiok. 
They  are  then  circumcised  and  attached  to  the  warriors'  kraals  as 
general  assistants,  and  are  termed  El-barnodi.  Between  about  the 
ages  of  seventeen  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  they  serve  as  warriors, 
and  are  known  as  El-Moran.  After  marriage  the  Masai  becomes 
an  El-moruo,  and  generally  quits  the  war-path  and  becomes  a  staid 
and  respectable  member  of  society.  The  unmarried  girls,  who  live 
in  promiscuous  intercourse  with  the  EI-Moran  in  their  special 
kraals,  are  called  En-ditto  (pi.,  En-doye).  The  Masai  are  not  gov- 
erned by  chiefs,  but  by  elders  elected  by  popular  vote,  and  who 
hold  their  office  only  so  long  as  they  give  general  satisfaction. 
They  may,  therefore,  be  termed  republicans  ! 


^t.  37.]  An  Exhausting  Day.  427 

its  object  unbearable.  To  live  among  the  Masai  is  like 
moving  among  a  troop  of  lithe  and  beautiful,  but  half- 
tamed  leopards.  The  traveller  has  to  be  ever  on  the 
alert,  or  he  will  be  pinned  by  the  throat.  Not  yet  had 
the  caravan  passed  a  more  trying  day.  Every  man  in  it 
was  utterly  exhausted.  Never  had  they  so  longed  for 
the  evening.  All  watched  with  feverish  anxiety  till 
at  length  the  great  red  disc  of  the  sun  set  behind  the 
mountain  range  of  Mau,  and 

"  Slowly  by  God's  hand  unfurled 
Down  around  the  weary  world 
Fell  the  darkness." 

One  such  day  was  enough.  The  next  morning  the 
camp  was  broken  up,  and  the  caravan  was  on  its  way 
northward  with  the  rising  sun.  The  way  led  through 
"deep  valleys,  as  if  they  had  been  excavated.  ' 

On  the  14th  they  saw  the  last  of  the  troublesome 
Masai,*  and  camped  at  a  place  where,  some  years  ago, 
"  a  caravan  of  a  thousand  men  was  surrounded  and  cut 
to  pieces  by  the  Masai." 

On  the  15th  they  continued  their  way  almost  due 
north  toward  Njemps,  passing  through  the  volcanic 
region  near  Lakes  Elmeteita  and  Nakuro. 

On  the  i6th,  the  Bishop  writes:  "  Misled  by  Thom- 
son's map,  I  took  a  wrong  direction,  going  too  much 

*  Three  Masai  brought  an  ox  for  sale.  With  these  the  Bishop 
made  great  friends,  and  allowed  them  to  pass  the  night  in  his  tent. 
He  writes  :  "  Having  strewed  the  floor  with  the  leaves  of  the  sweet- 
scented  Caleshwa,  we  laid  us  down,  their  spears  and  shields  at 
their  sides.  They  packed  themselves  away  like  sardines  in  a  box, 
and  I  covered  them  over,  first  with  a  leopard's  skin,  then  with  a 
grass  mat,  and  finally  with  a  waterproof  sheet.  They  fell  almost 
immediately  into  a  most  gentle  sleep.  I  soon  followed  their  ex- 
ample.    Wherever  we  meet  we  are  to  be  brothers." 


428  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

north.  A  great  corner  may  be  cut  off  by  management. 
Reached  Doreta." 

Mr.  Jones  writes:  "On  Sept.  i8th  we  discovered  a 
new  lake,  as  we  marched  a  little  out  of  Mr.  Thomson's 
road.  It  is  not  mentioned  or  marked  by  Mr.  T.  We 
slept  on  its  banks.  This  lake  lies  southeast  of  the  hot 
springs  which  are  seen  before  reaching  Njemps. 

"At  about  midday  we  came  across  a  herd  of  ele- 
phants. The  Bishop  saw  an  opportunity  of  supplying 
the  hungry  caravan,  and  at  once  charged  them.  A  cow 
elephant,  in  return,  charged  his  lordship  furiously. 
While  the  Bishop  was  thus  engaged  with  the  elephants, 
two  rhinoceroses  started  up  and  made  straight  tov/ard 
where  he  stood.  I  was  standing  upon  a  high  precipice, 
from  whence  I  could  see  all  that  was  going  on  below.  I 
shouted  to  the  Bishop  to  beware  of  the  two  rhinoceroses, 
who  were  coming  down  rapidly  upon  him.  But  both  he 
and  Brahim,  who  was  v/ith  him,  failed  to  see  them. 
Just  as  the  cow  elephant  was  charging  the  Bishop,  the 
rhinoceroses  got  in  between,  and  the  elephant  at  once 
turned  her  attention  to  them,  and  charged  down  upon 
them  instead  of  the  Bishop.  And  nov/,  from  the  top  of 
my  rock,  I  witnessed  a  very  singular  spectacle.  The 
Bishop  running  and  volleying  the  elephants  ;  the  ele- 
phants chasing  the  rhinoceroses  ;  a  leopard  hunting  my 
dog  Tom  ;  and  the  caravan  men  dashing  down  their 
loads  and  scattering  in  every  direction  before  the  great 
beasts  !  It  was  soon  over,  however,  for  the  Bishop  bag- 
ged his  elephant,  and  almost  brought  down  a  second. 

"When  our  hungry  people  saw  the  elephant  fall,  they 
shouted  for  joy.  That  elephant  was  soon  disposed  of. 
The  men  scrambled  forward  with  their  knives,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  huge  beast  was  cut  in  pieces.  Some  of 
the  men  ate  the  meat  raw,  while  others  made  large  fires, 


^t.  37.]  Arrival  at  Njemps.  429 

and  sat  round  to  enjoy  their  feast As  they  were 

not  allowed  to  camp  there,  almost  every  man  made  up 
an  extra  load  of  meat  to  carry  on  with  him." 

The  next  two  days  were  spent  in  fruitless  wandering. 
The  party  went  astray  in  following  what  seemed  a  good 
lead,  but  which  turned  out  to  be  a  ciil  de  sac,  from  which 
they  only  extricated  themselves  after  some  desperate 
work,  clambering  over  a  steep  hill  of  a  thousand  feet, 
which  brought  them  once  more  upon  the  plain. 

The  Bishop  writes:  "I  seem  to  see  now  why  we  lost 
our  way.  The  game  which  we  had  shot  supplied  us 
with  meat  and  enabled  us  to  spend  Sunday  here  in  a 
beautiful  spot,  free  from  natives,  and  in  peace  and  quiet; 
otherwise  we  should  have  been  in  Njemps  in  the  thick 
of  worry  and  bustle.  The  heat  is  intense,  as  Baringo 
lies  in  a  deep  hole.  We  have  descended  3,000  feet  since 
last  Sunday.  We  had  our  two  pleasant  Services,  and  the 
day  passed  in  the  most  absolute  rest  and  peace.  I  lay 
stretched  on  my  back  in  quiet  contemplation  and  sweet 
dreams  of  dear  ones  at  home,  and  often  longing,  often 
wondering  whether  I  shall  be  permitted  to  see  them." 

After  resting  throughout  Sunday,  the  Bishop  entered 
Njemps,  near  Lake  Baringo.  There  are  two  villages  of 
that  name.  The  caravan  made  its  way  to  the  smaller. 
The  Wa-Kwafi  of  Njemps  are  by  extraction  Masai,  but, 
having  lost  their  cattle  in  a  war  with  a  tribe  of  the  lat- 
ter, they  have  become  tamed,  and  have  settled  down  to 
agriculture.  They  are  a  simple-minded  and  inoffensive 
people,  and  extremely  trustworthy,  so  that  their  villages 
offer  a  delightful  resting-place  to  the  traveller  weary 
of  the  violence  and  importunity  of  the  Masai  hordes 
through  which  he  has  struggled  thitherward. 

On  Sept.  22d  they  left  the  beehive  huts  of  Njemps, 
and  set  their  faces  tovv^ard  Kavirondo.     The  men  were 


430  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

all  well  laden  with  the  food  which  they  had  purchased 
for  their  journey  into  the  almost  unknown  country 
which  they  were  now  entering.  Mr.  Thomson's  men  did 
their  utmost  to  dissuade  him  from  penetrating  further 
into  this  perilous  region;  but  then  they  had  the  large 
caravan  of  the  Swahili  traders  to  fall  back  upon.  Bishop 
Hannington's  porters  well  knew  that  for  them  there  was 
no  retreat.  Between  them  and  home  lay  the  dreadful 
Masai.  Their  only  hope  of  safety  now  lay  in  pushing  on 
to  the  Nyanza.  There  were,theref  ore,  no  protesting  voices, 
but  all  braced  themselves  up  to  meet  whatever  dangers 
the  next  fortnight  might  have  in  store  for  them. 

They  crossed  the  river  Guaso  Tigirish,  scrambled  over 
the  rocky  terrace  that  divides  it  from  the  Guaso  Kamny^, 
and  made  for  Kamasia.  That  evening  they  rested  at 
Mr.  Thomson's  halting-place  of  Mkuyu-ni. 

On  Sept.  23d  they  started  at  daybreak,  and  climbed 
along  the  steep  and  thorn-impeded  track  to  the  summit 
of  the  mountain  pass  of  Kamasia, 

On  the  26th  they  passed  through  Kapte,  and  the  hills 
of  Elgeyo  lay  before  them,  seeming  to  stretch  in  one 
long  line  of  stupendous  precipices  from  north  to  south. 
They  camped  at  the  foot  of  the  Elgeyo  escarpment,  and 
spent  the  Sunday  there.  The  Bishop  writes  :  "  Hongo 
rather  hotly  demanded  by  a  fresh  party,  stirred  up  by 
Wa-Kwafi.  I  resisted  a  long  time,  but,  for  the  sake  of 
a  quiet  day,*  gave  way." 

On  Monday,  the  28th,  the  Bishop  and  his  party  as- 
cended the  precipitous  lava  cap  of  the  Elgeyo  escarp- 
ment.    They  seem   to  have   hit    upon   an    easier  point 


*  "  As  a  sign  how  tired  one  can  be,  on  Friday  last,  when  going 
to  bed,  I  took  a  bite  from  a  biscuit,  and  fell  asleep,  with  the  first 
mouthful  still  in  my  mouth,  and  the  rest  in  my  hand." — Bishop's 
Diary. 


M\..  37.]  A  Rare  Monkey.  43 1 

of  ascent  than  that  which  gave  so  much  trouble  to  Mr. 
Thomson,*  for  the  Bishop's  pocket-book  has  this  sole 
reference  to  the  event,  "Climbed  to  the  top  without  dif- 
ficulty"; and  Mr.  Jones  does  not  in  anyway  expatiate 
upon  any  special  peril  or  labor  incurred  in  surmounting 
the  obstacle.  He  does,  however,  allude  to  the  fact  that 
the  night  spent  upon  the  height  above  was  extremely 
cold,  as  indeed  would  necessarily  be  the  case  at  that 
great  elevation. 

The  following  day  was  spent  in  crossing  a  wide,  tree- 
less plain,  the  Rangata  Nyuki,  or  Red  Plain  of  Guas' 
Ngishu,  a  kind  of  inlet  of  Masai  Land,  which  runs  up 
between  the  steep  mountain  ranges  of  Elgeyo  on  the 
east  and  the  Surongai  Hills  on  the  west.  The  river 
Kiborum,  which  bounds  the  plain  on  the  west,  is  neck- 
deep  and  rapid,  and  gave  them  some  trouble  to  cross  it. 
Next  day  a  man  was  missed.  Searchers  were  sent  and 
found  him  a  short  distance  in  the  rear,  dead,  and  already 
half  eaten  by  hyaenas. 

The  Bishop  notes  that  he  saw  one  of  those  beautiful 
and  rare  monkeys,  the  Colobus  guereza.  He  had  met  with 
it  before  only  on  the  forest-clad  sides  of  Kilima-njaro. 
It  is  specialized  by  a  stripe  of  long  white  hair  running 
along  the  sides  and  meeting  at  the  tail,  which  is  also 
white  and  bushy.  Its  skin  is  much  affected  by  the  war- 
riors of  Moschi. 

When  they  reached  the  summit  of  the  range  of  hills 
above  the  river,  their  journey  seemed  almost  finished. 
Kavirondo  lay  stretched  beneath  their  feet.f 

*  Through  Masai  Land,  p.  465. 

tHannington  writes,  with  unconscious  prophetic  meaning; 
"  There  lay  Kavirondo  before  us — 

'  As  when  the  weary  traveller  gains 
The  height  of  some  o'erlooking  hill. 


432  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

The  village  of  Kabaras  was  reached  at  nine  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  4th.  The  simple-minded  people  had 
apparently  exhausted  their  curiosity  and  fear  at  the 
sight  of  a  white  man  over  Mr,  Thomson,  for  they  greet- 
ed the  Bishop  in  a  frank  and  friendly  manner,  and  sup- 
plied him  cheaply  with  what  provisions  he  was  willing 
to  buy. 

The  country  of  Kavirondo,  through  which  they  were 
passing,  is  thickly  inhabited.  Villages  are  to  be  seen 
everywhere  dotting  the  grassy  plain.  The  inhabitants 
are  the  nakedest  in  the  whole  of  Africa.  Strangely 
enough,  they  are  also  the  most  moral.  Both  Mr.  Thom- 
son and  Mr.  Jones  make  special  allusion  to  these  facts. 
The  chief,  Sakwa,  received  the  Bishop  and  his  present 
most  graciously,  and  sent  him  on  his  way  toward  Kwa 
Sundu  in  peace. 

Kwa  Sundu  is  only  two  hours  distant  from  Kwa 
Sakwa.  The  people  were  a  little  shy  at  first,  as  the 
whole  country  had  suffered  terribly  from  the  wretched 
Svvahili  slave-hunters,  who  had  carried  fire  and  sword 
among  the  villages  not  long  before.  Wlien,  however, 
they  found  that  the  Bishop  had  no  connection  with  such, 
they  were  at  once  friendly,  and  admitted  the  caravan 
into  their  pleasant  village,  upon  a  tree-clothed  hill-top 
near  the  rapid  flowing  river  Nzoia. 

Bishop  Hannington  writes  :  "  Naturally  the  natives 
seem  good-natured  and  polite  to  strangers,  and  are  by 
no  means  importunate.  Oh  that  we  might  possess  fair 
Kavirondo  for  Christ  !  " 

A  halt  was  made  at  Kwa  Sundu  until  the  nth.  We 
ma)?'  gather  what  followed  from  Mr.  Jones'  diary  : 

His  heart  revives  if  'cross  the  plains 
He  sees  the  goal,  though  distant  still.'  " 


JEt.  37.]  Starts  Alone  for  the  Lake.  433 

"  Soon  after  arriving,  the  Bishop  decided  that  he 
would  proceed  to  the  Lake  alone,  and  leave  me  behind 
in  charge  of  the  caravan.  Accordingly  he  began  to  pack 
those  things  which  he  thought  to  be  most  necessary  for 
himself  and  the  50  men  whom  he  chose  from  the  200 
porters  to  accompany  him.  He  said  that  he  would  try 
to  cross  the  Lake  after  reaching  Lussala  (Massala  of  Mr. 
Thomson),  and  go  to  U-Ganda.  At  Rubaga  he  would 
ascertain  if  any  of  the  brethren  wished  to  return  to  the 
coast,  in  which  case  they  might  take  the  nev/  route  by 
Kavirondo.  They  would  then  be  able  to  take  the  cara- 
van back  with  them.  The  Bishop  himself  intended, 
when  he  returned,  to  do  so  by  the  old  Unyamw^ezi  route, 
and  visit  the  churches  which  were  established  to  the 
south  of  the  Lake. 

"Oct.  12th. — To-day  the  Bishop  left  me.  He  was  not 
at  all  well.  An  abscess  had  formed  in  his  leg  which 
gave  him  considerable  pain.  He  would  not,  however, 
listen  to  my  entreaties  that  he  should  wait  until  his  leg 
was  healed,  but  started  with  his  fifty  picked  men.  They 
were  all  loaded  lightly,  in  order  that  they  might  be  able 
to  carry  him  should  it  prove  that  he  was  unable  to  walk. 

"  Oct.  iT,th. — To-day  some  natives  arrived  from  Sindi 
and  reported  that  the  Bishop  and  his  caravan  had  passed 
that  place  all  well.  Sindi  lies  due  Northwest,  and  is 
about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  distant. 

"  Oct.  20th. — No  news  of  the  Bishop.  The  guide  who 
went  with  him  has  returned,  but  brings  no  message. 
Probably  the  man  has  run  away  from  the  Bishop's  camp. 
I  am  daily  looking  for  a  messenger  with  a  line  from  the 
Lake. 

"Oct.  22nd. — To-day  a  man  reported  to  me  that  one  of 
the  Bishop's  porters  is  at  Sindi.  Who  he  may  be  I  can- 
not tell.  Very  likely  he  was  left  behind  through  sick- 
19 


434  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

ness.  No  letters  from  the  Bishop,  though  to-day  is  the 
twelfth  since  he  left  us  for  the  Lake.  I  pray  that  all 
may  be  well  with  him. 

" Oct.  2C^th. — No  letters  from  the  Bishop.  I  have  only 
152  men  with  me.  With  these,  if  the  Bishop  does  not 
come  this  way,  I  shall  have  to  return  by  the  same  way 
that  we  came.  Wherever  we  passed  our  caravan  was 
laughed  at,  owing  to  our  small  numbers.  What  will 
they  say  when  they  see  us  still  less  in  returning  ? 

"  Oct.  28M. — No  news  from  the  Bishop.  It  is  becom- 
ing a  matter  of  great  anxiety. 

"  Oct.  2,0th. — Still  no  news.  Last  night  Arthur  reported 
that  one  had  told  him  that  the  Bishop  had  been  attacked 
by  a  neighboring  tribe,  but  of  his  safety  nothing  is  said. 
It  is  now  nineteen  days  since  he  left  us.  The  tribe  that 
is  said  to  have  attacked  the  Bishop  is  only  four  days 
distant,  and  we  should  have  heard  of  any  disaster  long 
before  this.  I  therefore  regard  this  report  as  utterly 
false. 

'^  Nov.  yd. — All  is  silent. 

"  N'ov.  ']tk. — Not  an  air  of  news  !  I  am  very  anxious. 
To-day  it  is  twenty-seven  days  since  the  Bishop  left,  and 
not  a  line  has  he  sent.  Every  now  and  then  I  hear  from 
people  coming  from  Tunga's  quarters  that  the  party  has 
passed  that  place,  but  no  more.  It  may  be  that  the 
party  have  reached  the  Lake,  and  that,  owing  to  the 
Bishop's  bad  leg,  everything  is  brought  to  a  state  of 
stagnation. 

"  Nov.  2>th,  Sunday. — After  service,  and  just  as  L  had 
finished  writing  in  my  journal,  precisely  at  12  noon, 
Bedue,  one  of  the  men,  came  to  me  sighing  and  breath- 
ing hard.  'What's  the  matter?'  I  said  to  him,  rising. 
'Two  men  have  come  to  me,'  Bedue  continued,  'with 
the   report   that   the   Bishop   and    his   party  have   been 


^t.  38.]  Rumors  of  Disaster.  435 

killed  ! '  '  Where  are  they  ? '  I  demanded  ;  '  bring  them 
to  me  at  once  that  I  may  learn  the  truth  of  their  story.' 
Bedue  flew  away,  but  somehow  the  two  men  came  to  me 
before  he  returned.  They  said  that  they  had  been  a 
long  distance  in  search  of  a  doctor  for  their  chief,  v/ho 
is  now  ill  ;  on  their  road  the}'  picked  up  three  of  our 
men  who  had  managed  to  escape  when  the  Bishop  and 
his  men  were  being  killed.  '  Where  are  the  three  men  ? ' 
I  asked,  though  I  could  scarcely  speak  for  nervousness, 
and  my  whole  body  shook  fearfully.  The  men  replied 
that  they  were  at  Sindi's.  '  Why  have  you  not  brought 
them  ?'  I  said  ;  '■  then  I  might  have  given  you  a  hand- 
some present.  You  have  only  got  the  news  of  the 
Bishop's  death,  but  no  eye-witness  who  saw  him  die,  or 
who  has  seen  his  dead  body.'  They  then  asked  me  to 
give  them  wire  and  beads,  and  said  they  would  go  and 
fetch  the  men.  I  hoped  even  then  that  these  men  might 
be  playing  me  a  trick,  so  I  refused  to  give  them  any- 
thing, and  said  that  I  would  make  arrangements  about 
any  men  who  might  be  at  Sindi's. 

"  I  immediately  sent  to  the  chief  and  asked  for  men 
to  go  to  Sindi's  village.  Before  the  chief  could  return 
an  answer,  one  of  the  men  from  Sindi's  appeared.  Now 
we  could  no  longer  regard  the  report  as  false,  or  how 
should  he  have  come  entirely  stripped  of  everything  ? 
The  man  came  in  and  sat  down.  '  Now,'  said  I, '  Senenge, 
where  have  you  come  from  ?  and  where  is  the  Bishop  ? ' 
(I  asked  these  questions  with  trembling  lips — the  Bishop 
dead !).  Senenge  said  that  the  Bishop  and  his  party 
reached  this  side  of  U-Ganda  safely.  He  wanted  to  go 
on,  but  the  people  prevented  him  until  they  had  sent  a 
message  to  their  chief.  The  Bishop  refused  to  be  kept 
long  waiting  ;  however,  he  was  compelled  to  yield,  and 
wrote  a  letter  which   he  desired   them  to  send  to  the 


43^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

missionaries  in  U-Ganda.  On  the  eighth  day  the  reply 
was  brought  that  the  chief  had  sent  word  that  the  Eu- 
ropean should  proceed  to  see  Mtesa.*  Early  on  the 
ninth  day  the  Bishop  and  his  party  were  tied  and  con- 
fined in  different  places.  Toward  5  p.m.,  first  the  Bishop 
and  then  the  men,  one  by  one,  were  killed  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  village  ! 

"  Before  he  had  finished  this  tale,  the  two  remaining 
men  arrived  from  Sindi's.  One  of  them  had  been  speared 
in  the  right  arm.  They  give  the  same  report  as  to  the 
Bishop  and  Pinto  being  killed,  but  different  accounts  as 
to  how  he  was  killed.  Senenge  says  he  saw  none  of  the 
men  killed.  The  other  two  say  that  thirteen  men  were 
killed  and  the  rest  taken  for  slaves.  That  before  they 
were  led  to  be  killed  they  were  stripped  of  their  guns, 
tied  together  in  threes,  and  made  to  sit  in  one  place. 
The  Bishop,  they  all  say,  was  confined  by  himself  in  a 
place  where  the  other  men  could  not  see  him.  All  the 
goods  were  taken  to  the  house  of  the  chief  Rua.  The 
place  of  the  murder  they  say  is  three  days  from  U-Ganda. 
They  say  that  October  31st  is  the  day  on  which  the 
Bishop  died.f  Senenge  says  the  Bishop  was  speared 
and  Pinto  shot.  The  other  two,  that  the  Bishop  was 
shot  with  two  guns,  Pinto  with  one." 

''After  hearing  all  this  dreadful  report  of  the  dear 
Bishop,  I  cross-examined  the  men  as  to  how  they  man- 
aged to  escape.  To  this  I  could  get  no  satisfactory 
reply.     As  we  were  surrounded  by  eager  natives  all  lis- 


*  Probably  Mr.  Jones  meant  Mwanga,  for  he  knew  of  Mtesa's 
death,  but  wrote  "  Mtesa  "  from  long-  habit,  as  his  name  has  always 
been  associated  with  the  U-Ganda  Mission. 

t  It  is  now  almost  certain  that  the  29th  was  the  day  of  his 
death. 


Mt.  38.]        Report  of  the  Men  who  Escaped.  437 

tening,  I  gave  it  out  that  this  report  was  not  true,  and 
that  these  three  men  had  wickedly  deserted  the  Bishop, 
and  instructed  all  my  people  to  represent  the  report  as 
untrue  to  the  people  of  the  village." 
"  Can  it  be  true  that  the  Bishop  is  killed '{  " 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


HOW    IT    CAME    TO    PASS. 


" '  And  do  you  think  that  a  spirit,  full  of  lofty  thoughts,  and 
privileged  to  contemplate  all  time  and  all  existence,  can  possibly 
attach  any  great  importance  to  this  life.''  ' 

" '  No  ;  it  is  impossible.' 

" '  Then  such  a  person  will  not  regard  death  as  a  formidable 
thing,  will  he  ?  '  • 

"  '  Certainly  not.'  "  Plato  :  Repub. 

''Ej.iol  yap  TO  QJv,  'KpiGTog,  mi  to  anodaviiv  Kspdog. — Phil.  i.  21. 

We  must  now  transfer  our  thoughts  to  the  capital  of 
U-Ganda,  and  inquire  how  matters  had  been  going  on 
there  since  Bishop  Hannington's  visit  to  the  Lake  in 
1882.  We  shall  in  this  manner  be  able  to  understand 
how  it  came  to  pass  that  the  Bishop,  after  that  the  jour- 
ney which  he  had  so  daringly  and  skilfully  undertaken 
had  been  brought  to  a  triumphant  conclusion,  and  when 
he  had  the  best  reason  for  believing  that  all  danger  was 
over,  was  seized  and  put  to  death  by  the  very  men  whom 
he  regarded  as  his  friends. 

I  very  heartily  wish  that  space  permitted  me  to  give 
a  detailed  and  full  account  of  this,  the  most  interesting 
of  modern  Missions,  and  fullest  of  the  romance  of  real 
life.  Chiefly  for  the  sake  of  those  who  have  not  read 
Mr.  Mackay's  journal-letters,  which  have  been  published 
from  time  to  time  in  the  C.  M.  Ijitelligencer.  It  is  not 
likely  that  those  who  have  followed  the  varying  fortunes 
of  the  Mission  as  narrated  in  his  graphic  and  thrilling 
letters  will  require  me  to  add  anything  to  their  knowl- 
(438) 


JEt.  38.]  T^e  Church  in   U-Ganda.  439 

edge.  Perhaps,  however,  they  will  pardon  me  if,  for  the 
sake  of  the  less  accurately  informed,  I  attempt  to  trace 
out,  as  briefly  as  may  be,  the  sequence  of  events  which 
led  to  so  great  a  disaster,  and  to  the  loss  of  a  noble  man 
over  whom  the  Church  Universal  has  mourned. 

On  the  loth  of  October,  1884,  about  a  month  before 
the  Bishop  sailed  from  England,  an  event  occurred 
which  most  seriously  affected  all  Church  work  in  Cen- 
tral Africa,  and  to  which  may  be  attributed  the  disaster 
of  October  29,  1885.  Mtesa,  king  of  U-Ganda,  died, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Mwanga.  This  Mwanga 
is  a  mere  boy,  possessing  none  of  his  father's  strength 
of  character,  and  has  proved  to  be  almost  wholly  under 
the  influence  of  his  Katikiro  (vizier)  and  council  of 
chiefs. 

Christianity  had  been  making  great  strides  in  U-Gan- 
da ;  *  and  that  in  spite  of  the  perplexing  divisions  caused 
by  the  French  priests  of  the  Roman  Church,  the  bitter 
opposition  of  the  Arabs,  and  the  scarcely  disguised  dis- 
favor of  the  chiefs.  Mtesa  was  a  man  of  marvellously 
large  heart — for  an  African  potentate — and  he  was  in- 
clined to  let  all  parties  have  a  fair  field  and  no  favor. 
Our  Churchmen  were  not  slow  to  make  hay  while  the 
sun  was  shining.  They  set  up  their  printing-press,  and 
distributed  everywhere  portions  of  the  New  Testament, 
hymns,  prayers,  etc.,  in  Luganda.  It  soon  became  fash- 
ionable to  learn  to  read.  The  store-houses  and  offices 
of  the  Court  were  literally  converted  into  reading-rooms. 
Lads  might  be  seen  everywhere,  sitting  in  groups,  or 
sprawling  on  the  hay-covered  floor,  all  reading — some 
the  Book  of  Commandments,  some  the  Church  prayers, 
others  the  Kiswahili  New  Testament.     Nor  were  these 

*  Compare  pages  200-203. 


440  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

books  and  papers  given  to  them  for  nothing.  They  were 
both  ready  and  eager  to  buy  whatever  literature  they 
could  get. 

On  March  18,  1882,  the  first  five  converts  were  bap- 
tized, and  in  the  year  following  several  more.  At  the 
end  of  1884  the  native  Church  consisted  of  eighty-eight 
members.  Among  these  was  no  less  a  personage  than 
one  of  Mtesa's  own  daughters,  "  Rebecca  "  Mugali.  This 
the  king  had  not  bargained  for,  and  for  some  time  the 
little  Church  was  in  real  danger.  But,  after  a  while, 
Mtesa's  natural  breadth  of  mind  led  him  to  accept  the 
logical  conclusion  of  his  tolerance,  and  things  went  on 
as  before.  Then  occurred  his  death.  What  immediate- 
ly foUoAved  is  a  very  remarkable  testim.ony  to  the  hold 
which  Christianity  had,  even  in  this  brief  time,  acquired 
over  the  minds  of  the  people.  The  invariable  custom 
hitherto  had  been  to  indulge  in  mutual  and  indiscrim- 
inate pillage,  rapine,  and  murder,  during  the  brief  inter- 
regnum, and  until  the  new  king  was  installed.  The 
heads  of  the  Mission  were  warned  by  several  of  the  con- 
verts, who  hastened  to  announce  the  king's  death,  and 
bid  them  fortify  themselves  and  prepare  for  the  worst. 
After  united  prayer  and  consultation,  they  resolved  to 
await  events,  without  resisting  any  officially  authorized 
attempt  to  pillage  them.  To  their  wondering  thankful- 
ness, the  expected  carnival  of  blood  was  "honored  in  the 
breach."  It  was  made  known  that  the  young  king  had 
spared  the  princes  his  brothers,  whom  custom  would 
have  permitted  him  to  exterminate,  and  that  there  was 
to  be  no  slaughter.  Such  a  thing  had  never  been  known 
before,  and  a  bright  prospect  of  a  good  time  coming 
seemed  to  open  out  before  the  Mission.  But  then  came 
a  time  of  trouble.  Mwanga,  immensely  puffed  up  by 
his  elevation,  and  indulging  himself  in  all  possible  van- 


^t.  38.]  The  CJmrch  tJt   U-Ganda.  44 1 

ities  and  vices,  proved  to  be  of  a  feeble  and  vacillating 
character  ;  passionate  and  vindictive,  timid  and  suspi- 
cious, he  soon  became  a  tool  in  the  hands  of  his  design- 
ing courtiers.  The  chiefs,  intensely  conservative  of  all 
customary  abuses  by  which  they  maintained  their  special 
privileges  and  victimized  the  people,  were  alarmed  at 
the  progress  which  enlightened  Christian  views  were 
making.  They  did  not  find  it  very  difficult  to  arouse 
Mwanga's  suspicions  and  work  upon  his  fears. 

Unhappily,  a  pretext  was  soon  forthcoming  for  an  at- 
tack upon  the  Church.  Mr.  Mackay  had  been  permitted 
to  sail  in  the  Mission  boat  Eleanor  to  Msalala,  at  the 
south  end  of  the  Nyanza,  to  meet  three  of  his  compan- 
ions who  were  reported  to  be  upon  their  way  to  U-Ganda. 
They  had  not,  hovv^ever,  penetrated  so  far,  as  their  ser- 
vices were  required  at  the  various  Mission  Stations  along 
the  road.  When  Mr.  Mackay  returned  without  them,  it 
was  at  once  suggested  by  the  unfriendly  chiefs  that  he 
had  never  intended  to  bring  them  back,  but  had  used 
the  opportunity  of  leave  of  absence  to  communicate 
with  the  king's  enemies.  (The  most  puerile  reports  are 
enough  to  set  an  African  kingdom  in  a  blaze.)  Some 
sort  of  color  was  given  to  this  story  by  a  rumor  of  white 
men  in  U-Soga,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  Lake. 
This  was  Mr.  Thomson's  party,  which  penetrated  to  Up- 
per Kavirondo  in  1883-84.  The  chiefs  of  U-Ganda  have 
always  looked  upon  an  approach  to  their  country  from 
the  north  or  northeast  with  extreme  suspicion  and  dis- 
like. They  regard  the  Lake  as  a  natural  barrier  against 
invasion  from  the  south  ;  they  do  not  as  yet  entertain 
any  great  fear  of  danger  from  the  west,  though  the  new 
Congo  State  may  probably  before  long  excite  their 
alarm  ;  but  they  are  very  nervous  about  any  advance  of 
another  nation  from  the  east  or  north.  When  Egypt 
19* 


442  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

was  enlarging  her  borders  southward  they  were  in  a 
state  of  panic.  A  single  white  man  is  looked  upon  as  a 
host  in  himself,  and  as  such  to  be  most  rigorously  ex- 
clud  d  if  he  should  make  his  appearance  from  the  two 
forbidden  quarters.  Even  Mtesa  used  sometimes  to 
twit  the  white  men  at  Rubaga,*  asking  them  if  they 
would  like  to  see  the  country  behind  U-Soga,  and  assur- 
ing them  that  they  should  not.  Mr.  Thomson  escaped 
even  more  narrowly  than  he  at  the  time  realized. 
Perhaps  he  owes  his  safe  return  to  the  fact  that  he 
reached  the  borders  of  U-Ganda  about  the  time  of 
Mtesa's  death.  At  all  events,  it  is  certain  that  the  chief 
who  was  responsible  for  letting  him  go,  and  omitting 
to  bind  and  bring  him  before  the  king,  has  since  been 
charged  with  the  offence  and  degraded  from  his  office. 

Such  being  the  state  of  feelings  in  Mtesa's  time,  it  was 
not  hard  for  the  chiefs  to  instil  all  kinds  of  vague  fears 
into  the  feeble-minded  Mwanga.  Mr.  Mackay  was 
charged  with  sending  his  friends  to  U-Soga,  there  to 
collect  an  army,  while  he  stole  away  the  hearts  of  the 
people  in  U-Ganda  from  their  king.  Mwanga  was  en- 
raged to  find  that  all  his  pages,  with  the  exception  of 
two  or  three,  were  pupils  of  the  Missionaries  ;  he  com- 
plained to  them  that  they  had  ceased  to  respect  his 
majesty,  that  they  counted  Jesus  as  their  king,  and 
himself  not  much  better  than  a  brother  !  Matters  soon 
reached  a  crisis.  Mr.  Mackay  had  obtained  permission 
again  to  cross  the  Lake,  and  was  proceeding  with  some 
of  the  Mission  boys  to  the  port,  when  he  was  forcibly 


*  Mwanga  has  removed  his  capital,  and  built  his  "palace"  at  a 
place  called  Mengo,  a  mile  and  a  half  S.E.  of  Rubaga,  which  is 
now  a  bare,  uninhabited  hill.  The  C.  M.  S.  Mission  Station  is  at 
Natete,  a  mile  and  a  half  N.W.  from  Rubaga. 


i, 


^t.  38,]  TJie  Boy-Martyrs.  443 

arrested  by  order  of  the  Katikiro.  The  instrument  em- 
ployed was  one  Mujasi,  captain  of  the  body-guard,  who 
had  once  been  sent  on  an  embassy  to  General  Gordon 
at  Khartoum,  and  not  meeting  from  that  great  Governor 
the  distinguished  consideration  which  he  thought  that 
his  own  highness  merited,  had  returned  with  a  perfect 
hatred  of  all  white  men,  and  a  deep-seated  loathing  for 
their  religion.  He  was  rejoiced  at  this  opportunity  of 
showing  his  contempt  for  the  Christian  teachers,  and 
used  them  with  the  utmost  rudeness,  dragging  them 
forcibly  before  the  Katikiro.  They  only  averted  the 
utter  destruction  of  the  Mission  premises  by  a  timely 
present  to  the  authorities.  Their  boys,  however,  had 
been  seized  upon  the  pretext  that  as  Christians  they 
were  joining  with  the  white  men  against  the  king.  They 
made  the  utmost  efforts  to  obtain  their  release,  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  Three  of  the  younger  were  at  last  re- 
turned to  them,  but  the  other  three  were  shamefully 
tormented  and  done  to  death.  The  lads  who  escaped  de- 
scribed the  scene  to  their  teachers.  But  Mr.  Mackay 
must  himself  narrate  the  terrible  facts  :  "  They  were 
taken,  with  Kakumba  and  Mr.  Ashe's  boy,  and  also  Ser- 
wanga,  a  tall,  fine  fellow  who  had  been  baptized.  These 
three  were  then  tortured,  their  arms  were  cut  off,  and  they 
were  bound  alive  to  a  scaffolding,  under  which  a  fire  was 
made,  and  so  they  were  slowly  burned  to  death."  As  they 
hung  in  their  protracted  agony  over  the  flames,  Mujasi 
and  his  men  stood  around  jeering,  and  told  them  to  pray 
now  to  Isa  Masiya  (Jesus  Christ)  if  they  thought  that  He 
could  do  anything  to  help  them.  The  spirit  of  the  mar- 
tyrs at  once  entered  into  these  lads,  and  together  they 
raised  their  voices  and  praised  Jesus  in  the  fire,  singing 
till  their  shrivelled  tongues  refused  to  form  the  sound, 
Killa  sihi  tuusifu  : 


444  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

"  Daily,  daily,  sing  to  Jesus, 

Sing-,  my  soul,  His  praises  due ; 
All  He  does  deserves  our  praises. 

And  our  deep  devotion  too. 
For  in  deep  humiliation 

He  for  us  did  live  below  ; 
Died  on  Calvary's  cross  of  torture  ; 

Rose  to  save  our  souls  from  woe."  * 

Little  wonder  that  Mr.  Mackay  should  write  :  "  Our 
hearts  are  breaking."  Yet  what  a  triumph  !  One  of  the 
executioners,  struck  by  the  extraordinary  fortitude  of 
the  lads,  and  their  evident  faith  in  another  life,  came 
and  asked  that  he  also  might  be  taught  to  pray.  This 
martyrdom  did  not  daunt  the  other  Christians.  Though 
Mwanga  threatened  to  burn  alive  any  who  frequented 
the  Mission  premises,  or  adopted  the  Christian  faith, 
they  continued  to  come,  and  the  lads  at  the  Court  kept 
their  teachers  constantly  informed  of  everything  that 
was  going  on.  Indeed,  when  the  Katikiro  began  to 
make  investigation,  he  found  the  place  so  honey-combed 
by  Christianity!  that  he  had  to  cease  his  inquisition  for 
fear  of  implicating  chiefs  and  upsetting  society  generally. 
One  man,  named  Nua,  who  had  gone  to  the  Court  to 

*  One  of  the  hymns  translated  into  the  musical  language  of 
U-Ganda.  The  book  of  hymns  and  prayers  has  upon  its  title- 
page  the  happily-conceived  monogram  : 

M 

A 

I  S  A 

I 

Y 
A 

t  In  July,  1885,  a  large  church  had  been  built,  wh'ch  was  over- 
crowded. The  daily  school  was  so  largely  attended  that  it  was 
impossible  to  teach  properly  all  who  came.  Mr.  OTlaherty  writes 
that  on  July  26th,  no  less  than  35  persons  openly  commitnicated. 


JEt.  38.]  Dangers  Thicken.  445 

confess  himself  a  Christian  and  take  the  consequences, 
was  sent  home  in  peace,  and  his  accuser,  Mujasi,  rebuffed. 
This  discovery  did  not,  however,  as  one  may  suppose, 
incline  the  chiefs  to  look  with  any  greater  favor  upon 
the  new  religion. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  U-Ganda  in  the  spring 
of  1885,  when  the  Bishop  was  contemplating  his  journey 
thither  through  Masai  Land. 

He  was  quite  ignorant  of  the  strength  of  the  prejudice 
which  existed  there  against  permitting  an  entrance  into 
the  country  through  U-Soga.  It  is  evident  that  Sir  John 
Kirk  and  all  in  Zanzibar,  as  well  as  the  Missionaries  at 
Frere  Town,  were  also  in  ignorance  of  this.  They  were 
all  apparently  unanimous  in  their  recommendation  that 
the  new  route  should  be  tried,  and  if  the  country  of  the 
Masai  were  safely  passed,  they  did  not  see  any  reason 
to  doubt  that  the  Bishop  would  be  received  in  a  friend- 
ly manner  into  U-Ganda. 

Yet  all  this  time  the  danger  was  ina-easing,  until,  had 
the  Bishop  known  it,  he  might  as  safely  have  walked 
into  a  den  of  lions  as  have  ventured  into  U-Soga.  We 
have  mentioned  the  effect  produced  by  Mr.  Thomson's 
expedition,  and  the  manner  in  which  Englishmen  in 
U-Ganda  suffered  in  consequence  ;  but  to  the  general 
vague  fear  of  invasion  by  white  men  was  now  added  the 
definite  report  of  the  high-handed  proceedings  of  Ger- 
many at  Zanzibar.*  Mtesa,  when  he  was  pressed  by  his 
chiefs  to  take  measures  against  the  Europeans,  who,  they 
averred,  were  only  waiting  until  they  had  sufficient  forces 
at  their  command  to  declare  hostilities,  and  eat  up  his 
country,  would  wisely  reply  :  "If  they  intended  to  take 

*  Germany  had  demanded  from  Seyyid  Barghash  the  port  of 
Bogamoyo — and  threatened  to  take  it  if  he  would  not  sell. 


44^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

the  country,  they  would  not  begin  with  the  interior.  I 
shall  wait  until  I  see  them  commence  upon  the  coast." 
Well,  iioiv,  apparently,  the  dreaded  Bazungu  had  begun 
to  "  eat  up  "  the  coast.  "  Alarm  was  at  its  height,"  writes 
Mr.  Mackay  ;  "the  Court  counselled  killing  all  the  Mis- 
sionaries, as  we  were  only  the  forerunners  of  invasion," 
Mr.  Mackay  did  all  in  his  power  to  convince  the  king 
and  his  chiefs  that  Englishmen  were  a  different  race 
from  the  Germans,  and  taking  a  large  school-map,  point- 
ed out  to  them  the  various  divisions  of  Bulaya  (Europe). 
His  arguments  were  to  little  purpose.  To  the  tribes  of 
Central  Africa  all  white  men  seem  to  be  of  one  race;  all 
are  called  Bazungu  (Europeans). 

When  information  reached  the  Mission  party  that  their 
Bishop  was  about  to  visit  them,  and  had  determined  to 
enter  by  U-Soga,  they  were  naturally  alarmed.  They 
took  counsel  together,  and  decided  to  tell  the  king,  and 
explain  to  him  the  object  of  the  Bishop's  visit  before  a 
garbled  account  should  reach  his  ears.  This  they  did  in 
September.  They  mentioned  that  their  Superior  and 
chief  of  their  Church  was  coming  that  way  probabl)''  to 
avoid  the  Germans,  and  did  all  that  was  possible  to  re- 
move from  the  king's  mind  the  suspicion  that  they  had 
any  connection  with  the  Germans  themselves. 

The  next  morning,  the  king  summoned  a  council  of  his 
chiefs.  After  some  consultation  they  unanimously  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  white  men  were  all  of  the  same 
race.  That  the  white  teachers  were  only  the  forerunners 
of  war  ;  and  that  they  were  waiting  for  their  headman 
to  arrive,  when  they  would  commence  at  once  to  eat  up 
the  country.  One  proposed  to  go  out  and  fight  the 
Bishop.  Another  thought  that  all  the  white  men  in 
U-Ganda  should  be  first  killed,  and  so  the  evil  stamped 
out  with  one  blow.     Another  remarked  that  though  it 


^t,  38.]  Tlie  Deed  Accomplished.  447 

had  been  said  that  to  kill  a  white  man  would  bring  dis- 
aster upon  the  land,  yet  that  several  had  been  killed 
with  impunity,  and  nothing  had  happened.  All  were 
agreed  that  the  Bishop  should  not  be  allowed  to  enter 
the  country,  especially  as  he  was  coming  by  the  ^^  back- 
door" through  Busoga.*  It  was  finally  decided  that  the 
Bishop's  party  should  be  conducted  round  to  the  south 
of  the  Lake,  to  Msalala,  and  there  await  the  pleasure  of 
the  king. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Ashe,  with  Mr.  O'Flaherty  and 
Mr.  Macka}^,  were  not  idle.  They  realized  the  peril  in 
which  their  Bishop  would  stand,  and  constantly  sought 
interviews  with  Mwanga  to  induce  him  to  allow  them  to 
meet  him  and  conduct  him  themselves  to  the  capital.  It 
was  terrible  to  think  that  their  friend  was  rapidly  ad- 
vancing into  the  snare,  and  that  they  were  utterly  help- 
less to  give  him  warning. 

On  Oct.  25th,  one  of  the  Court  pages  came  to  the 
Mission-house  with  the  news  that  a  tall  Englishman  had 
arrived  in  Busoga,  and  further  stated  that  it  was  said  he 
had  lost  a  thumb. f  There  could  be  no  doubt  who  this 
might  be.  The  king  held  a  council,  and  it  was  decided 
that  the  stranger  should  be  put  to  death.  Mwanga  was 
at  first  unwilling,  and  suggested  that  the  white  man 
should  simply  be  turned  back.  To  this  the  Katikiro  re- 
plied, "Will  you  let  their  goods  go  also?"  So,  for  the 
sake  of  the  plunder,  the  order  went  forth.  Soon  one  of 
the  pages  whispered  to  his  teacher  that  the  white  men 
had  been  all  put  in  the  stocks  ;  and,  as  Mr.  Ashe  and 
Mr.  Mackay  hastened  to  the  palace  to  see  Mwanga,  a  lad 

*  In    U-Ganda   the   prefix    B  is  added.     Thus,  U-Ganda,  Wa- 
Ganda,  U-Soga,  etc.,  become  Bug-anda,  Baganda,  Busoga. 
fit  was  at  first  reported  that  there  were  two  white  men. 


44^  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

whispered,  as  they  entered  the  enclosure,  "  Men  have 
already  been  sent  to  kill  the  white  men."  The  king  re- 
fused to  see  them,  and  they  were  assured  that  their  white 
friends  would  be  quite  safe  and  would  merely  be  escorted 
out  of  the  country.*  Sorrowfully  they  departed,  know- 
ing that  they  were  being  deceived,  since  they  had  ob- 
tained reliable  information  through  one  of  their  young 
friends  the  pages  that  orders  had  been  given  '■'■  to  kill  the 
white  man  and  his  whole  party,  letting  none  escape,  and 
to  count  their  goods." 

We  have  not  space  here  even  to  summarize  what  Mr. 
Mackay  has  written  since  that  terrible  29th  day  of  Octo- 
ber, with  regard  to  his  own  position  and  that  of  his 
brethren  in  U-Ganda.     It  must  suffice  to  say  that  they 

*  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Pere  Lourdel, 
the  Superior  of  the  Jesuit  Mission,  refers  to  this :  "  Quelques  jours 
apres,  nous  apprenons  que  des  blancs  viennent  par  la  route  de 
Busoga.  Las  missionaires  anglais,  qui  savaient  que  le  blanc 
signale  etait  M.  Hannington,  vont,  mais  inutilement,  interceder 
aupres  du  roi  pour  qu'il  revienne  sur  la  sentence  ;  mais  ils  ne 
purent,  pendant  deux  jours  qu'ils  attendirent  a  la  cour,  obtenir 
une  minute  d'audience,  lis  eurent  alors  recours  a  moi  et  me. 
prierent  d'aller  interceder  en  leur  faveur  pour  la  vie  de  leur  eveque 
Comme  alors  le  roi  me  recevait  facilement,  je  me  rendis  a  leurs 
prieres,  et,  a  force  d'instances,  j'obiins  de  Mwanga  qu'il  ne  ferait 
pas  perir  les  blancs,  mais  le  chasserait  simplement  en  leur  envoy- 
ant  I'ordre  de  retourner  sur  leur  pas.  Mais  la  promesse  du  roi 
etait-eile  fausse,  ou  I'ordre  etait-il  deja  execute.''  Le  fait  est  que 
nous  appreiiions,  quelques  jours  apres,  que  le  meurtre  etait  con- 
somme. Le  blanc  vanait  d'etre  massacre  avec  la  plus  grande 
partie  de  son  escorte,  une  quarantaine  d'hommes  environ." 

Also  with  regard  to  Mwanga's  state  of  mind  : 

"  Le  pauvre  Mwanga  ajoutait,  le  matin  meme  de  cette  seance  : 
'  C'est  moi  qui  suis  le  dernier  roi  de  Buganda ;  les  blancs  s'em- 
pareront  de  mon  pays  apres  ma  mort.  De  mon  vivant,  je  saurai 
bien  les  en  empecher.  Mais,  apres  moi,  se  terminera  la  liste  des 
rois  negres  du  Buganda.'  " 


-^t.  38.]  The  Bishop's  Last  Journal.  449 

have  been  in  daily  peril  of  their  lives,  and  the  only  fact 
which  has  apparently  stood  between  them  and  death  on 
several  occasions  has  been  that  Mwanga  imagines  that 
they  do  not  know  the  fate  which  has  befallen  their  Bishop. 
The  Christians  have  been  very  faithful  and  devoted,  and 
though  the  persecution  has  broken  out  afresh,  and  as 
many  as  thirty-two  converts  have  been  heaped  together 
and  burned  alive  in  one  great  funeral  pyre,  conversions 
do  not  stop,  and  brave  souls  still  confess  Christ,  seeking 
baptism  at  the  risk  of  death  in  its  most  av.'ful  form. 
How  this  will  end,  God  alone  knows.  In  His  keeping 
this  band  of  Christian  heroes  may  be  left  with  confidence. 

We  must  return  to  the  Bishop.  The  accounts  of  his 
death  which  were  given  to  Mr.  Jones  by  the  men  who 
escaped  from  the  massacre,  and  those  given  to  the  Mis- 
sion party  in  U-Ganda  by  persons  who  professed  to  have 
been  eye-witnesses  of  the  deed,  are  substantially  in  agree- 
ment. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Jones  states  that  the 
Bishop  was  suffering  from  an  inflamed  leg,  which  had 
confined  him  "to  the  outside  of  his  bed"  for  nearly  a 
week.  He,  nevertheless,  made  ever}'  preparation  for  an 
immediate  start  with  his  fifty  men  for  the  Lake.  His 
own  journal,  so  happil)^'  and  so  unexpectedly  recovered, 
supplies  us  with  full  and  accurate  information  as  to  all 
that  happened  from  the  moment  when  he  left  Kwa-Sundu 
to  within,  probably,  a  few  hours,  or  even  minutes  of  his 
death.     He  writes: 

^' Oct.  12th,  Monday. — Nine  hours,  eighteen  miles.  At 
daylight,  and  almost  before,  I  made  a  dash  at  my  boot, 
and  with  fear  and  trembling,  laced  it  up,  and  put  foot 
to  the  ground.  I  stood,  I  walked,  and  without  great 
pain,  so  I  organized  a  start Arrived  at  Mtindi's 


450  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

at   5   P.M.,  tired,   but   none   the   worse Immense 

Masai  town  close  at  hand." 

During  the  next  week  the  Bishop  walked  about  a 
hundred  and  seventy  miles.  On  the  second  day  he 
writes  :  "  Climbing  a  hill,  the  Lake  burst  suddenly  upon 
us,  long  before  I  expected  it,  for  hills  which  we  saw  miles 
away  proved  to  be  islands.  We  found  ourselves  to  the 
west  of  the  deep  Sio  bay."  The  country  was  densely 
populated,  and  the  people,  on  the  whole,  friendly,  but 
inclined  to  hinder  the  rapid  march  westward  of  the  im- 
patient European.  Each  petty  chief  of  a  district  en- 
deavored to  compel  him  to  halt  and  remain  for  a  day 
or  two.  The  Bishop,  however,  pushed  resolutely  on, 
and  refused  to  be  detained.  It  was  terribly  anxious 
work,  as  he  was  perpetually  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 
obstructives,  who  seemed  to  be  ever  on  the  point  of 
resorting  to  violence.  His  men  were  terrified,  but  he, 
generally  with  a  well-assumed  smile,  or  seeming-hearty 
laugh,  sometimes  with  a  demonstration  of  fist  or  stick, 
shouldered  his  way  onward  to  the  Nile.  On  Oct.  17th 
he  found  himself  unexpectedly  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake, 
and  writes  : 

'*  I  found  an  enormous  market  in  full  swing,  and 
canoes  from  the  islands,  but  none  of  my  inquiries  satis- 
fied me  as  to  where  we  were,  though.  I  have  strong  sus- 
picions that  we  have  only  reached  a  deep  inlet  opposite 

(Uvuma  Island  ?) We  are  in  the  midst  of  awful 

swamps,  and  mosquitoes  as  savage  as  bees  ;  the  Lord 
keep  me  from  fever  !  " 

"  Oct,  idith,  Sunday. — ^I  can  hear  nothing  about  the 
Nile.     Nobody  has  heard  of  a  river  running  north,  nor 

of  the   Ripon   Falls I   passed  a  very  restful  and 

pleasant   day,   although   it   was   difficult    not    to    fidget 


JEt.  38.]  In  a   Troublesome  Country.  45 1 

myself  nervous  about  the  swamps  and  bad  water.  The 
nearer  I  get  the  more  anxious  I  seem,  wrongly,  to  be 
about  arrivmg,  though  I  am  sure  I  ought  not  to  be  so, 
since  God  has  been  so  very  gracious  to  me,  and  has  thus 
far  led  me  by  the  hand. 

"  Oct.  igth,  Monday. —  ....  Presently  we  came  upon 
S3'-mptoms  of  war,  and  finally  we  fell  in  with  a  Wa- 
Ganda  mob  sent  to  subdue  U-Soga.  Their  excitement 
at  seeing  me  was  intense.  Many  of  them  knew  Mackay. 
ISIost  of  their  leaders  were  drunk,  and  in  a  most  danger- 
ous mood,  coming  round  me,  shouting  and  yelling,  and 
ordering  me  about.  Whereupon  I  took  the  high  hand, 
and  in  spite  of  overwhelming  numbers,  I  refused  to 
stop,  shook  my  fist  in  the  faces  of  the  most  noisy, 
gathered   my  scattered  men,  and  pushed  through  the 

mob All  the  neighborhood  is  decimated  by  war  ; 

hundreds  of  fine  banana-trees  cut  down,  and  huge 
bunches  lying  about  rotting.  We  camped  between  the 
two  war-parties.  I  could  hear  them  both,  and  was  in  a 
very  dangerous  situation,  as  it  was  dark,  and  my  men 
such  fools  that  they  would  not  keep  still. 

"  Oct.  20th. — Through  the  mercy  of  God — and  every 
step  of  the  way  is  through  His  mercy — nothing  hap- 
pened during  the  night,  but  I  fear  we  have  arrived  in  a 

troublesome    country We  have,    however,    made 

fine  progress  to-day,  and  almost  all  in  the  right  direction 
that  should  bring  us  to  the  Nile,  near  about  the  Ripon 
Falls  ;  and  I  don't  think  I  am  much  out  of  my  reckon- 
ing.    Here,  at  least,  we  seem  to  have  peace  for  a  night. 

^^  Oct.  21st,  Wedtiesday. — About  half  an  hour  brought 
us  to  Lubwa's.  His  first  demand,  in  a  most  insolent 
tone,  was  for  ten  guns  and  three  barrels  of  powder; 
this,  of  course,  I  refused.  They  then  demanded  that  I 
should  stay  three  days  ;  this  I  refused,  and  when  the 


452  James  Hanningfon.  [A.D.  1885. 

same  demands  were  made,  I  jumped  up  and  said,  '  I  go 
back  the  way  I  came.'  Meantime  the  war  drums  beat. 
More  than  a  thousand  soldiers  were  assembled.  My 
men  implored  me  not  to  move,  but,  laughing  at  them,  I 
pushed  them  and  the  loads  through  the  crowd  and 
turned  back.  Then  came  an  imploring  message  that  I 
would  stay  but  for  a  short  time.  I  refused  to  hear  till 
several  messages  had  arrived  ;  then,  thinking  things 
were  turning  my  way,  I  consented  ;  said  I  would  give  a 
small  present  and  pass.  My  present  was  returned,  and 
a  demand  made  that  I  would  stay  one  day  ;  to  this  I 
consented,  because  I  fancy  this  man  can  send  me  on  in 
canoes  direct  to  Mwanga's  capital,  and  save  a  week's 
march.  Presently  seven  guns  were  stolen  from  us  ;  at 
this  I  pretended  to  rejoice  exceedingly,  since  I  should 
demand  restoration  not  from  these  men,  but  from 
Mwanga.  A  soldier  was  placed  to  guard  me  in  my  tent, 
and  follow  me  if  I  moved  an  inch.  I  climbed  a  neigh- 
boring hill,  and  to  my  joy,  saw  a  splendid  view  of  the 
Nile,  only  about  half  an  hour's  distance,*  country  being 
beautiful;  deep  creeks  of  the  Lake  visible  to  the  south. 
I  presently  asked  leave  to  go  to  the  Nile.  This  was 
denied  me.  I  afterwards  asked  my  headman,  Brahim, 
to  come  with  me  to  the  point  close  at  hand  whence  I 
had  seen  the  Nile,  as  our  men  had  begun  to  doubt  its 
existence  ;  several  followed  up,  and  one,  pretending  to 
show  me  another  view,  led  me  further  away,  when  sud- 
denly about  twenty  ruffians  set  upon  us.  They  violently 
threw  me  to  the  ground,  and  proceeded  to  strip  me  of 
all  valuables.     Thinking  they  were  robbers,  I  shouted 

*  It  seems  clear  fron  the  above  that  Bishop  Hannington  pene- 
trated further  than  was  at  first  supposed  ;  in  this  edition,  therefore, 
the  blue  line  upon  the  map  has  been  prolonged  almost  to  the  right 
bank  of  the  Nile. 


JEt.  38.]  T^e  Bishop  Seized.  453 

for  help,  when  they  forced  me  up  and  hurried  me  away, 
as  I  thought,  to  throw  me  down  a  precipice  close  at 
hand.  I  shouted  again,  in  spite  of  one  threatening  to 
kill  me  with  a  club.  Twice  I  nearly  broke  away  from 
them,  and  then  grew  faint  with  struggling,  and  was 
dragged  by  the  legs  over  the  ground.  I  said,  'Lord,  I 
put  myself  in  Thy  hands,  I  look  to  Thee  alone.'  Then 
another  struggle,  and  I  got  to  my  feet,  and  was  thus 
dashed  along.  More  than  once  I  was  violently  brought 
into  contact  with  banana-trees,  some  trying  in  their 
haste  to  force  me  one  way,  others  the  other,  and  the  ex- 
ertion and  struggling  strained  me  in  the  most  agonizing 
manner.  In  spite  of  all,  and  feeling  I  was  being  dragged 
away  to  be  murdered  at  a  distance,  I  sang,  *  Safe  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus,'  and  then  laughed  at  the  very  agony  of 
my  situation.  My  clothes  torn  to  pieces  so  that  I  was 
exposed  ;  wet  through  with  being  dragged  along  the 
ground  ;  strained  in  every  limb,  and  for  a  whole  hour 
expecting  instant  death,  hurried  along,  dragged,  pushed, 
at  about  five  miles  an  hour,  until  we  came  to  a  hut,  into 
the  court  of  which  I  was  forced.  Now,  I  thought,  I  am 
to  be  murdered.  As  they  released  one  hand,  I  drew  my 
finger  across  my  throat,  and  understood  them  to  say 
decidedly  No.  We  then  made  out  that  I  had  been 
seized  by  order  of  the  Sultan.  Then  arose  a  new  agony. 
Were  all  my  men  murdered  ?  Another  two  or  three 
hours'  awful  suspense,  during  which  time  I  was  kept 
bound  and  shivering  with  cold,  when  to  my  joy,  Pinto 
(the  Portuguese  cook)  and  a  boy  were  brought  with  my 
bed  and  bedding,  and  I  learnt  that  the  Sultan  meant  to 
keep  me  prisoner  until  he  had  received  word  from 
Mwanga,  which  means,  I  fear,  a  week  or  more's  delay, 
nor  can  I  tell  whether  they  are  speaking  the  truth.  I 
am  in  God's  hands." 


454  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

The  man  who  enticed  the  Bishop  away  from  his  fol- 
lowers, a  few  of  whom  had  accompanied  him  to  the 
summit  of  the  hill,  was  one  Masudi  bin  Suleiman,  a 
renegade  Mohammedan,  who  has  renounced  his  race 
and  creed,  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  heathen.  He  is 
well  known  as  a  violent  opponent  of  Christianity  in 
U-Ganda.  The  Bishop  was  dragged  by  a  circuitous  route 
to  the  village  ;  but  one  of  the  men,  who  happened  to  be 
wandering,  was  a  horrified  witness  of  his  master's  fate. 
He  ran  to  tell  his  companions,  and  soon  all  was  con- 
fusion and  dismay.  The  panic-stricken  men  lost  all 
nerve,  and  some  of  their  goods  were  at  once  scrambled 
for  by  the  natives.  They  were  then  all  seized  and  de- 
taiiied  as  prisoners.     The  Bishop  continues  : 

"Oct.  22nd,  Thursday. — I  found  myself,  perhaps  about 
ten  o'clock  last  night,  on  my  bed  in  a  fair-sized  hut,  but 
with  no  ventilation,  a  fire  on  the  hearth,  no  chimney  for 
smoke,  about  twenty  men  all  round  me,  and  rats  and 
vermin  ad  lib.;  fearfully  shaken,  strained  in  every  limb  ; 
great  pain,  and  consumed  with  thirst,  I  got  little  sleep 
that  night.  Pinto  may  cook  my  food,  and  I  have  been 
allowed  to  have  my  Bible  and  writing  things  also.  I 
hear  the  men  are  in  close  confinement,  but  safe,  and  the 
loads,  except  a  few  small  things,  intact.  Up  to  one 
o'clock  I  have  received  no  news  whatever,  and  I  fear  at 
least  a  week  in  this  black  hole,  in  which  I  can  barely  see 
to  write.  Floor  covered  with  rotting  banana  peel  and 
leaves  and  lice.  Men  relieving  nature  at  night  on  the 
floor  ;  a  smoking  fire,  at  which  my  guards  cook  and 
drink  pombe  ;  in  a  feverish  district  ;  fearfully  shaken, 
scarce  power  to  hold  up  small  Bible.  Shall  I  live 
through  it  ?     My  God,  I  am  Thine. 

"Toward  evening  I  was  allowed  to  sit  outside  for  a 


^t.  38.]  Sick  and  Shattered.  455 

little  time,  and  enjoyed  the  fresh  air  ;  but  it  made  mat- 
ters worse  when  I  went  inside  my  prison  again,  and  as  I 
fell  exhausted  on  my  bed  I  burst  into  tears — health 
seems  to  be  quite  giving  way  with  the  shock.  I  fear  I 
am  in  a  very  caged-lion  frame  of  mind,  and  yet  so 
strained  and  shattered  that  it  is  with  the  utmost  diffi- 
culty I  can  stand  ;  yet  I  ought  to  be  praising  His  Holy 
Name,  and  I  do. 

'*  Not  allowed  a  knife  to  eat  my  food  with.  The  sav- 
ages who  guard  me  keep  up  an  unceasing  strain  of  rail- 
lery, or  at  least  I  fanc)^  they  do,  about  the  Mzungu. 

"  Oct.  2T,rd,  Friday. — I  woke  full  of  pain  and  weak,  so 
that  with  the  utmost  difficulty  I  crawled  outside  and  sat 
in  a  chair,  and  yet  they  guard  every  move  as  if  I  was  a 
giant.  My  nerves,  too,  have  received  such  a  shock  that, 
some  loud  yells  and  war-cries  arising  outside  the  prison 
fence,*  I  expected  to  be  murdered,  and  simply  turned 
over  and  said  :  '  Let  the  Lord  do  as  He  sees  fit ;  I  shall 
not  make  the  slightest  resistance.'  Seeing  how  bad  I 
am,  they  have  sent  my  tent  for  me  to  use  in  the  daytime. 
Going  outside  I  fell  to  the  ground  exhausted,  and  was 
helped  back  in  a  gone  condition  to  my  bed.  I  don't  see 
how  I  can  stand  all  this,  and  yet  I  don't  want  to  give  in, 
but  it  almost  seems  as  if  U-Ganda  itself  was  going  to  be 
forbidden  ground  to  me— the  Lord  only  knows.  After- 
noon.— To  my  surprise  my  guards  came  kneeling  down, 
so  different  to  their  usual  treatment,  and  asked  me  to 
come  out.  I  came  out,  and  there  was  the  chief  and 
about  a  hundred  of  his  wives  come  to  feast  their  eyes  on 
me  in  cruel  curiosity.  I  felt  inclined  to  spring  at  his 
throat,  but  sat  still,  and  presently  read  to  myself  Mat- 

*  Since  the  publication  of  the  first  edition,  the  recovery  of  the 
Bishop's  sketch-book  has  enabled  us  to  give  a  fac-simile  of  his 
drawing  of  the  hut  in  which  he  was  confined. 


456  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

thew  V.  44,  45,  and  felt,  refreshed.  I  asked  how  many 
more  days  he  meant  to  keep  me  in  prison.  He  said  four 
more  at  least.  He  agreed,  upon  my  earnest  request,  to 
allow  me  to  sleep  in  my  own  tent,  with  two  armed  sol- 
diers at  each  door.  The  object  of  his  visit  was  to  ask 
that  I  would  say  no  bad  things  of  him  to  Mwanga. 
What  can  I  say  good  ?  I  made  no  answer  to  the  twice 
repeated  request.  He  then  said  if  I  would  write  a  short 
letter,  and  promise  to  say  nothing  bad,  he  would  send  it 
at  once.  I  immediately  wrote  a  hasty  scrawl  (I  scarce 
know  what),  but  said  I  was  prisoner,  and  asked  Mackay 
to  come.  God  grant  it  may  reach.  But  I  already  feel 
better  than  I  have  done  since  my  capture,  though  still 
very  shattered. 

"  Oct.  2Afth,  Saturday. — Thank  God  for  a  pleasant  night 
in  my  own  tent,  in  spite  of  a  tremendous  storm  and  rain 
flowing  in  on  the  floor  in  streams.  Personally  I  quite 
forgave  this  old  man  and  his  agents  for  my  rough  treat- 
ment, though  even  to-day  I  can  only  move  with  the 
greatest  discomfort,  and  ache  as  though  I  had  rheumatic 
fever.  I  have,  however,  to  consider  the  question  in  an- 
other light  ;  if  the  matter  is  passed  over  unnoticed,  it 
appears  to  me  the  safety  of  all  white  travellers  in  these 
districts  will  be  endangered,  so  I  shall  leave  the  breth- 
ren, who  know  the  country  and  are  most  affected,  to  act 
as  they  think  best.  The  day  passed  away  very  quietly. 
I  amused  myself  with  Bible  and  diary. 

^'^  Oct.  25///,  Sunday. — (Fourth  day  of  imprisonment.) 
Still  a  great  deal  of  pain  in  my  limbs.  The  fatigue  of 
dressing  quite  knocks  me  over.  My  guards,  though  at 
times  they  stick  to  me  like  leeches,  and,  with  two  rifles 
in  hand,  remain  at  night  in  ray  tent,  are  gradually  get- 
ting very  careless.  I  have  already  seen  opportunities  of 
escape  had  I  wanted  so  to  do,  and  I  doubt  not  that  in  a 


^t.  38.)  Offers  of  Escape.  457 

few  days'  time,  especially  if  I  could  get  a  little  extra 
pombe  brought  to  them,  I  could  walk  away  quite  easily, 
but  I  have  no  such  intention.  I  should  be  the  more  in- 
clined to  stop  should  they  say  go,  to  be  a  thorn  in  the 
old  gentleman's  side,  and  I  fear  from  that  feeling  of 
contrariness  which  is  rather  inborn.  I  send  him  affec- 
tionate greetings  and  reports  on  my  health  by  his  mes- 
sengers twice  a  day.  What  I  fear  most  now  is  the  close 
confinement  and  utter  want  of  exercise.  When  I  was 
almost  beginning  to  think  of  my  time  in  prison  as  get- 
ting short  the  chief  has  sent  men  to  redouble  the  fence 
around  me.  What  does  it  mean  ?  I  have  shown  no  de- 
sire or  intention  of  escaping.  Has  a  messenger  arrived 
from  Mwanga?  There  is  just  time  for  him  to  have  sent 
word  to  tell  them  to  hold  me  fast.  The  look  of  this  has 
cast  me  down  again. 

"  One  of  my  guards,  if  I  understand  him  rightly,  is 
making  me  offers  of  escape.  He  has  something  very 
secret  to  communicate,  and  will  not  even  take  my  boy 
into  confidence.  I  do  not,  however,  want  to  escape 
under  the  present  circumstances  ;  but  at  the  same  time 
I  take  great  amusement  in  watching  and  passing  by 
various  little  opportunities.  My  guards  and  I  are  great 
friends,  almost  affectionate,  and  one  speaks  of  me  as 
*  My  whiteman.' 

"  Three  detachments  of  the  chief's  wives,  they  say  he 
has  1,000  nearly,  have  been  to-day  to  see  me.  They  are 
very  quiet  and  well-behaved,  but  greatly  amused  at  the 
prisoner.  Mackay's  name  seems  quite  a  household  word; 
I  constantly  hear  it. 

"  My  men  are  kept  in  close  confinement,  except  two 
who  come  daily  backwards  and  forwards  to  bring  my 
food.  This  they  take  in  turns,  and  implore,  so  I  hear, 
for  the  job. 


458  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

"  Oct.  26th,  Monday. — (Fifth  day  in  prison.)  Limbs 
and  bruises  and  stiffness  better,  but  I  am  heavy  and 
sleepy.  Was  not  inclined  to  get  up  as  usual,  and,  if  I 
mistake  not,  signs  of  fever  creep  over  me.  Mackay 
should  get  my  letter  to-day,  and  sufficient  time  has 
passed  for  the  chief  to  receive  an  answer  to  his  first 
message  sent  before  I  was  seized,  the  nature  of  which  I 
know  not,  probably — White  man  is  stopping  here.  Shall 
I  send  him  on  ?  Waiting  your  Majesty's  pleasure.  If 
they  do  not  guess  who  it  is  they  will  very  likel}^,  African 
fashion,  talk  about  it  two  or  three  days  first  of  all,  and 
then  send  a  message  back  leisurely  v^^ith  Mwanga's  per- 
mission for  me  to  advance. 

"About  thirty-three  more  of  the  chief's  wives  came 
and  disported  themselves  with  gazing  at  the  prisoner. 
I  was  very  poorly  and  utterly  disinclined  to  pay  any 
attention  to  them,  and  said  in  English,  '  O  ladies,  if  you 
knew  how  ill  I  feel,  you  would  go.'  When  my  food  ar- 
rived in  the  middle  of  the  day  I  was  unable  to  eat.  The 
first  time,  I  think,  since  leaving  the  coast  I  have  refused 
a  meal.  To-day  1  am  very  broken  down  both  in  health 
and  spirits,  and  some  of  the  murmuring  feelings  which  I 
thought  that  I  had  conquered  have  returned  hard  upon 
me.  Another  party  of  wives  coming,  I  retired  into  the  hut 
and  declined  to  see  them.  A  third  party  came  later  on, 
and  being  a  little  better  I  came  out  and  lay  upon  my 
bed.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  be  examined  as  a  caged  lion 
in  the  Zoo,  and  yet  that  is  exactly  my  state  at  the  present 
time.  My  tent  is  jammed  in  between  the  hut  and  high 
fence  of  the  Boma,  so  scarce  a  breath  of  air  reaches  me. 
Then  at  night,  though  the  tent  is  a  vast  improvement  on 
the  hut,  yet  two  soldiers,  reeking  with  pombe  and  othe^- 
smells,  sleep  beside  me,  and  the  other  part  of  my  guard, 
not  far  short  of  twenty,  laugh  and  drink  and  shout  far 


JEt.  38.]  Resolves  to  Escape.  459 

into  the  night,  and  begin  again  before  daylight  in  the 
morning,  waking  up  from  time  to  time  to  sliout  out  to 
my  sentries  to  know  if  all  is  well.  I  fear  all  this  is  tell- 
ing on  my  health  tremendously. 

'^  Oct.  27///,  Tuesday. — (Sixth  day  as  prisoner.)  All  I 
can  hear  in  the  way  of  news  is  that  the  chief  has  sent 
men  to  fight  those  parts  we  passed  through.  I  begin  to 
doubt  if  he  has  sent  to  Mwanga  at  all,  but  thinks  I  am 
in  league  with  the  fighting  party,  and  is  keeping  me 
hostage.  I  begin  the  day  better  in  health,  though  I  had 
a  most  disturbed  night.  I  am  very  low  in  spirits  ;  it 
looks  so  dark,  and  having  been  told  that  the  first  mes- 
sengers would  return  at  the  latest  to-day.  Last  night  the 
chief's  messenger  said  perhaps  they  might  be  here  as 
soon  as  Thursday,  but  seemed  to  doubt  it.  I  don't  know 
what  to  think,  and  would  say  from  the  heart,  '  Let  the 
Lord  do  what  seemeth  to  Him  good.'  If  kept  here  an- 
other week  I  shall  feel  sure  no  messengers  have  been 
sent,  and  if  possible  shall  endeavor  to  flee,  in  spite  of  all 
the  property  I  must  leave  behind  and  the  danger  of  the 
undertaking. 

"  Only  a  few  ladies  came  to  see  the  wild  beast  to- 
day. I  felt  so  low  and  wretched  that  I  retired  within 
my  den,  whither  they,  some  of  them,  followed  me  ;  but 
as  it  was  too  dark  to  see  me,  and  I  refused  to  speak,  they 
soon  left, 

"The  only  news  of  to-day  is  that  two  white  men,  one 
tall  and  the  other  short,  have  arrived  in  Akota,  and  the 
Sultan  has  detained  them.  It  is  only  a  report  that  has 
followed  me.  I  am  the  tall  man,  and  Pinto,  my  Goa 
cook,  the  short  one  ;  he  is  almost  always  taken  for  a 
white  man,  and  dresses  as  such.  I  fear,  however,  with 
these  fearfully  suspicious  people,  that  it  may  affect  me 
seriously.     I  am  very  low,  and  cry  to  God  for  release. 


460  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

"  Oct.  22)th,  Wednesday. — (Seventh  day's  prison.)  A  ter- 
rible night,  first  with  noisy  drunken  guard,  and  secondly 
with  vermin,  which  have  found  out  my  tent  and  swarm. 
I  don't  think  I  got  one  sound  hour's  sleep,  and  woke 
vvith  fever  fast  developing.  O  Lord,  do  have  mercy 
upon  me  and  release  me.  I  am  quite  broken  down  and 
brought  low.     Comforted  by  reading  Psalm  xxvii. 

"  In  an  hour  or  two  fever  developed  very  rapidly.  My 
tent  was  so  stuffy  that  I  was  obliged  to  go  inside  the 
filthy  hut,  and  soon  was  delirious. 

"  Evening ;  fever  passed  away.  Word  came  that  Mwan- 
ga  had  sent  three  soldiers,  but  what  news  they  bring 
they  will  not  yet  let  me  know. 

"  Much  comforted  by  Psalm  xxviii. 

"  Oct.  29///,  Thursday. — (Eighth  day's  prison.)  I  can  hear 
no  news,  but  was  held  up  by  Psalm  xxx.,  which  came 
with  great  power.  A  hyena  howled  near  me  last  night, 
smelling  a  sick  man,  but  I  hope  it  is  not  to  have  me  yet." 

This  is  the  last  entry  in  the  little  pocket  diary.*  The 
few  lines  of  almost  microscopic  writing  do  not  occupy 
quite  an  eighth  part  of  the  page.  It  is  quite  clear,  from 
the  different  color  of  the  ink,  that  each  day's  entries  were 
made,  not  at  the  close  of  the  day,  but  at  various  times, 
as  the  writer  found  strength  and  opportunity.  Thus, 
in  the  entry  of  Wednesday,  the  28th,  the  eye  can  almost 
trace  the  phases  of  the  sick  man's  suffering  in  his  writ- 
ing. The  ink  is  faint  in  which  he  wrote  :  "  Fever  fast 
developing.     O  Lord,  do  have  mercy  upon  me."     There 

*  The  book  is  one  of  Letts'  monthly  pocket  diaries,  very  thin, 
and  only  4>^  inches  by  2^  ;  with  an  entire  page  for  each  day.  Into 
this  small  space  the  Bishop  has  managed  to  get  as  many  as  forty- 
six  lines  to  a  page,  each  line  averaging  twelve  or  thirteen  words. 
The  writing  is  very  minute  ;  indeed,  a  lens  was  found  almost  neces- 
sary to  decipher  some  parts  of  it. 


w^sul2  ^M-uU.j  <^ii-  "J^  Sunday  25  t^^«-^«i»-  <w.<,.i^ 

'^"^f<^v>'>  -    C^A■»^■'^"  fi   •  P.  Vit  '         - 

(^.^:Ai  Uiv«^^  VWl  «V>^    «^  ^cx^   lU^jyv^-  e^*-<i^  rt^  »UJv,t- 

UtT  fc-*<i*-»     3/-,nu3  v-<;.<A  eJui/it    cl/n-fc  ea^v^    tu^J'i't«-»^ 
V<J^  rf    COk^o^'-wi^  l'»At-vi   laWi^  i;i,X<V>v^  -J^u^   Cv^ 

CA^il  UoL»  viA,f  MAtu.   C  t«  \viM,>  f^  {ci'cA  <Vl'Mi-J  t*<0    vAiti*-  Jo«v  i*=''^.» 

/yvt/   {oyl-.    lUo  fcU^   <(J.  rtv^t  "^"^  l''^'*'  ''^  d<n~vx  *r=(<Ltvv        , 
iTvisi    -•i,"'*^    CywjivCrt    ^  -^  i'CA/.  (.»^  <-»^  1«:<T/W(    ^    "IM^U/   VKJ 

,.i!L  1 A  ..^  tcU,    .^   f^,.,     i^c.'^S^<^  ^d^^lr  l-^ 

«»i.»vt-  t  ^/«-V-o  iiiJ  c^  rti  i-".^^-*^  VA>.c-^Gi-<^  U- oo- '<« 

(IvJj,  tW,  loAt.  ii>-  t^»M*    U..D  vv.^  tvV,  '"J  'woA'trt  .»fe  /riF 


Facsimile  of  a  Tage  of. the  Bishop's  Diarv.  „ 


^t.  38.]  Scripture  Comfort.  461 

he  seems  to  have  laid  down  the  pen — in  what  bodily 
weakness  who  can  ever  know  ?  The  following  words — 
"and  release  me  ;  I  am  quite  broken  down  and  brought 
low.  Comforted  by  reading  twenty-seventh  Psalm  " — 
were  evidently  added  at  night,  after  the  delirium  of  the 
fever  had  passed  away.  The  comparative  briefness  of 
the  entry  made  on  the  28th  tells  an  eloquent  tale  of 
weakness  and  physical  distress.  For  the  first  time  since 
he  left  the  coast,  three  months  before,  his  old  enemy, 
fever,  had  found  him  out,  and  threatened  to  overwhelm 
his  faculties  at  the  moment  when  he  most  desired  to  be 
in  the  full  possession  of  them.  It  is  just  possible  that 
a  second  attack  of  fever  may  have  incapacitated  him 
from  writing  more  on  the  29th.  But  as  no  hint  is  given 
of  recurring  symptoms  it  is  most  probable,  indeed  well- 
nigh  certain,  that  the  entry  of  that  day  was  cut  short  by 
his  death.  The  ink  may  still  have  been  wet  when  his 
guards  led  him  forth  to  die. 

It  is  needless  to  add  anything  to  these  words  of  his 
which  have  come  to  us  from  the  antechamber  of  death. 
During  that  testing  time  the  man  reveals  himself  to  us 
in  all  the  grand  simplicity  of  his  sublime  faith.  Almost 
torn  to  pieces,  deprived  of  every  comfort  and  all  the 
decencies  of  life,  latterly  racked  by  fever,  and  with  the 
shadow  of  an  unknown  doom  darkening  his  heart,  he 
never  seems  for  a  single  instant  to  have  wavered  in  his 
confidence  in  his  God.  When  "  quite  broken  down  "  by 
bodily  outrage  and  the  sickness  of  hope  deferred,  when 
"  brought  very  low  "  by  superadded  fever,  he  could  be 
comforted  by  such  Psalms  as  xxvii. — xxx,,  and  apply  to 
himself  the  words  :  "  I  had  fainted,  unless  I  had  believed 
to  see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living. 
Wait  on  the  Lord.  Be  of  good  courage.  Wait,  I  say, 
on  the  Lord." 


462  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

It  seems  that  until  the  very  end  Hannington  had  little 
or  no  suspicion  that  Mwanga  was  concerned  in  his  ar- 
rest. He  looked  forward  to  the  return  of  the  messen- 
gers sent  to  U-Ganda  as  the  signal  for  his  immediate 
release.  On  Wednesday,  the  28th,  there  had  been  much 
drumming  and  shouting  among  the  natives.  When  the 
Bishop's  men  asked  the  meaning  of  the  demonstration, 
they  were  told- that  the  king  had  sent  word  that  the 
Mzungu  (European)  should  be  allowed  to  proceed  to 
U-Ganda.  They  were  much  relieved,  and  hoped  that 
their  trouble  was  over.  Probably  the  same  story  was 
told  to  the  Bishop  on  the  following  day  as  an  excuse 
for  hurrying  him  out  of  his  prison-hut  to  the  place  of 
execution.  Until  the  last  moment  he  would  have  had 
no  idea  that  he  was  irrevocably  doomed  to  death — that 
this  Lubwa  was  but  the  poor  cat's-paw  by  the  employ- 
ment of  whom  Mwanga  hoped  to  escape  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  actual  massacre.  When,  therefore,  he  was 
conducted  to  an  open  space  without  the  village,  and 
found  himself  surrounded  once  more  by  his  own  men, 
we  can  well  imagine  that  he  concluded  that  the  worst 
was  now  over,  and  even  began  to  turn  his  thoughts 
toward  the  recovery  of  the  valuable  goods  which  he 
had  brought  so  far  for  the  use  of  the  brethren  in 
U-Ganda. 

He  was  not,  how^ever,  long  left  in  doubt  as  to  the  fate 
which  v/as  in  store  for  him.  With  a  wild  shout  the  war- 
riors fell  upon  his  helpless  caravan-men,  and  their  flash- 
ing spears  soon  covered  the  ground  with  the  dead  and 
dying.  In  that  supreme  moment  we  have  the  happiness 
of  knowing  that  the  Bishop  faced  his  destiny  like  a 
Christian  and  a  man.  As  the  soldiers  told  off  to  murder 
him  closed  round,  he  made  one  last  use  of  that  com- 
manding mien  which  never  failed  to  secure  for  him  the 


^t.  38.]  His  Last   Words.  463 

respect  of  the  most  savage.  Drawing  himself  up  he 
looked  around,  and  as  they  momentarily  hesitated  with 
poised  weapons,  he  spoke  a  few  words  which  graved 
themselves  upon  their  memories,  and  which  they  after- 
wards repeated  just  as  they  were  heard.  He  bade  them 
tell  the  king  that  he  was  about  to  die  for  the  Ba-ganda, 
and  that  he  had  purchased  the  road  to  Buganda  with 
his  life.  Then,  as  they  still  hesitated,  he  pointed  to  his 
own  gun,  which  one  of  them  discharged,  and  the  great 
and  noble  spirit  leapt  forth  from  its  broken  house  of 
clay,  and  entered  with  exceeding  joy  into  the  presence* 
of  the  King. 


Every  morning  during  that  hard-fought  journe}-  he 
had  greeted  the  sunrise  with  his  "  travelling  psalm," — "/ 
will  lift  lip  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  from  whence  comet h  my 
help."  NOW  his  feet  were  planted  upon  the  battlements 
of  the  everlasting  hills,  and  the  weary  traveller  saw  what 
it  is  not  granted  to  eyes  of  flesh  to  see. 

How  often  had  he  encouraged  his  companions,  in  times 
of  doubt  or  difificulty,  with  the  words  :  "  Never  be  dis- 
appointed, only  Praise.'*  Was  he  disappointed  now, 
when,  standing  upon  the  very  verge  of  the  land  he  had 
come  so  far  to  see,  he  was  yet  forbidden  to  enter  it;  and 
when  the  prize  of  his  endeavor  was  snatched  from  his 
grasp  in  the  very  moment  of  victory  ?  "  The  Lord  shall 
preserve  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in  from  this  time  forth 
forevennore."  That  day  was  the  day  of  his  "coming 
in,"  not  to  the  land  which  he  had  hoped  to  reach  be- 
fore he  died,  but  to  a  far  better  land.  For  henceforth 
"  he  shall  dwell  on  high,  his  place  of  defence  shall  be 
the  munitions  of  rocks  :  bread  shall  be  given  him  :  his 
waters  shall  be  sure  ;  for  his  eyes  do  see  the  King  in 


464  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

His  beauty  ;  and  they  behold  the  Land  that  is  very  far 

off." 


Out  of  the  fifty  men  who  accompanied  the  Bishop  only 
four  were  suffered  to  escape.  These  made  their  way 
back,  as  we  have  seen,  to  Kwa  Sundu,  and  carried  the 
tidings  of  the  massacre  to  Mr,  Jones.  The  only  reason 
which  he  had  for  not  at  once  believing  their  tale  was 
that  they  failed  to  give  him  a  satisfactory  account  of  the 
manner  in  which  they  had  avoided  the  fate  of  their  com- 
panions. This  is  partially  explained  by  Mr.  Mackay, 
who  says  that  three  or  four  men  were  spared  in  order 
that  they  might  show  their  captors  how  to  open  the 
boxes  which  contained  the  Bishop's  goods,  It  is  easy  to 
understand  that  they  might  have  been  ashamed  to  con- 
fess that  they  had  purchased  their  lives  upon  such  terms. 
Hence  their  equivocation  upon  this  point  only. 

Mr.  Jones,  faithful  and  devoted  to  his  Bishop  to  the 
last,  waited  at  Kwa  Sundu  for  about  a  month  after  he 
received  the  report  of  his  death — hoping  against  hope, 
and  unwilling  to  leave  while  the  most  remote  chance  of 
his  being  alive  should  remain.  It  would  have  been  ut- 
terly impossible  for  him  to  have  penetrated  into  U-Soga. 
To  have  done  so  would  have  been  to  sacrifice  his  entire 
caravan,  without  even  the  prospect  of  achieving  any- 
thing. On  the  8th  of  December,  therefore,  he  sorrow- 
fully turned  his  face  from  the  Lake,  and  began  to  re- 
trace his  steps  along  the  backward  route. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1886,  at  sunrise,  the  Christians 
at  Rabai  were  wending  their  way  churchward  to  the 
early  Service,  when  they  were  startled  by  the  sound  of 
guns  ;  and  presently  some  messengers — weary  men,  and 


^t.  38.]  Return  of  his  Caravan.  465 

with  the  marks  of  long  travel  upon  them — came  in  to  say 
that  the  Bishop's  caravan  was  at  hand.  The  Bishop's 
caravan  without  the  Bishop  !  While  these  were  being 
eagerly  cross-examined,  other  guns  signalled  from  the 
valley,  very  distant,  but  volleying  nearer  and  yet  more 
near  ;  and  the  whole  settlement  ran  down  to  meet  their 
returning  friends.  Among  them  were  sad-faced  and  dis- 
tracted women,  who  had  gleaned  from  the  first-comers 
that  their  husbands  had  perished  in  the  great  disaster. 
As  the  two  Englishmen  in  charge  of  the  Mission  Station 
hastened  forward,  they  met  one  bearing  a  blue  pennon 
— the  African  symbol  of  mourning — whereon  was  sewn 
in  white  letters  the  word  ICHABOD.  Behind  the  sad 
standard-bearer,  amid  a  crowd  of  weeping  and  dis- 
traught women  and  friends,  limped  a  straggling  line  of 
sorry-looking  men,  staggering  beneath  their  diminished 
loads  ; — a  feeble  crew,  lean  and  weary  and  travel-stained 
— most  of  them  garmentless  or  clothed  in  hides.  Behind 
them  came  a  battered  white  helmet,  and  the  Bishop's 
friend  and  sharer  in  his  peril  was  grasping  their  hands, 
and  taken  into  their  arms.  None  of  them  were  able  to 
say  much  :  all  were  thinking  of  him  who  had  gone  out 
so  hopefully,  and  whose  great  heart  was  now  stilled  for- 
ever. 

When  the  news  reached  England,  the  report  of  the 
Bishop's  death  was  at  first  received  with  general  incre- 
dulity. The  public  did  not  believe  that  any  African 
king  w^ould  deliberately,  and  in  cold  blood,  murder  a 
European  dignitary.  Others  had,  indeed,  lost  their  lives,, 
but — as  in  the  case  of  Shergold  Smith  and  O'Neill — this 
was  rather  owing  to  their  having  become  in  some  way, 
however  unintentionally,  implicated  in  tribal  feuds,  than 
to  any  desire  on  the  part  of  the  natives  to  injure  them, 
20* 


466  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

There  was  no  quarrel  between  U-Ganda  and  England. 
Envoys  had  been  sent  from  thence  to  our  Queen,  and 
had  returned  loaded  with  her  favors.  The  British  Con- 
sul was  in  communication  with  Mtesa,  and  his  name  was 
one  to  conjure  with  at  his  court.  At  the  first  blush  the 
tidings  seemed  absurd. 

Nor  did  those  who  knew  Hannington  intimately  be- 
lieve that  he  had  been  killed,  until  they  were  forced  to 
do  so  by  overwhelming  evidence.  We  had  great  confi- 
dence in  the  man.  That  he  should  have  suffered  from 
his  own  hardiness  and  extreme  contempt  of  danger  did 
not  seem  improbable,  but  that  he  should  have  been  put 
to  death  at  the  bidding  of  any  native  chief  appeared 
very  unlikely.  His  presence  of  mind  and  readiness  of 
resource  were,  we  thought,  sufficient  to  extricate  him 
from  most  perils  of  this  sort.  We  were  then  as  ignorant 
as  he  was  when  he  planned  his  last  journey,  that  the 
young  king  of  U-Ganda  and  his  chiefs  had  assumed  such 
an  attitude  toward  Europeans  that  it  would  be  almost 
certain  death  for  any  stranger  to  approach  their  domin- 
ions from  the  forbidden  East. 

When,  at  last,  our  countrymen  were  compelled  to  ac- 
cept the  fact,  it  was  received  with  quite  universal  sorrow. 
The  young  Bishop  had  not  lived  long  enough  to  be 
known  much  beyond  the  circle  of  his  own  personal 
friends,  but  all  were  aware  that  a  man  of  no  ordinary 
parts,  brave  and  self-devoted  beyond  most  others,  had 
been  suddenly  cut  down  in  the  actual  consummation  of 
a  great  achievement. 

His  death  seemed  to  be  a  martyrdom.  And  indeed  it 
v/as.  As  an  ambassador  of  Christ  he  started,  and  as  an 
ambassador  of  Christ,  the  recognized  chief  of  that  grow- 
ing party  in  U-Ganda  who  served  "  another  King, 
Jesus,"  and  who  were  ready  tP  confess  His  name  in  the 


JEt.  38.]  Testimony  of  his  Friends.  467 

fire,  he  was  met  and  murdered.  His  dying  testimony 
will  not  be  forgotten  on  the  shores  of  the  great  Lake. 
His  words  are  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  :  "  I  am 
about  to  die  for  the  Ba-ganda,  and  have  purchased  the 
road  to  them  with  my  life."* 

So  his  death  was  lifted  out  of  the  list  of  ordinary 
deaths  which  happen  to  men  in  the  course  of  their  duty; 
it  was  understood  that  he  had  devoted  himself  in  no 
ordinary  manner,  and  his  name  at  once  found  a  place, 
with  that  of  Gordon,  Patteson,  Gardiner,  and  other 
Christian  heroes  of  this  generation,  among  the  ranks 
of  the  noble  army  of  martyrs. 

By  and  by,  from  all  sides,  poured  in  the  testimony  of 
his  friends.  It  was  noticed  that  those  who  had  been 
brought  into  closest  contact  with  him  were  most  im- 
pressed by  his  single-minded  self-devotion  and  unselfish- 
ness ;  and  many  who  knew  him  only  by  name  began  to 
feel  that  they  had  lost  in  him  a  friend  and  a  brother. 
Among  many  such  testimonies  we  may  quote  that  of 
Mr.  Wray,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  accompanied  his 
Bishop  to  Chagga.  He  says  :  "  The  more  I  knew  him, 
the  more  I  loved  him.  Oh,  that  loving,  tender-hearted, 
winning  soul !  I  cannot  forget  those  feet  which  trod 
over  a  hundred  miles  of  desert  that  I  might  be  carried 
in  his  own  hammock.     He  saved  my  life  !  " 

*  Mr.  Ashe  writes  from  Natete,  Buganda :  "  We  were  fortunate 
in  obtaining  our  dear  Bishop's  Bible.  One  of  our  Christians  bought 
it  of  a  man  who  had  taken  it  from  the  Bishop.  An  incident  con- 
nected W'ith  it  is  worth  mentioning.  One  or  two  of  those  who  were 
present  when  I  was  giving  the  cowrie  shells  for  the  book  expressed 
a  desire  to  share  in  the  cost  of  redeeming  it.  They  said  it  was  our 
brother's,  and  they  would  like  to  do  this.  I  mentioned  before  that 
one  of  the  members  of  our  native  Church  Council  wrote  to  me  a 
letter,  saying  he  quite  understood  that  the  Bishop  had  lost  his  life 
in  endeavoring  to  benefit  them." 


468  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885. 

There  were  some  who  thought  that  he  had  rashly- 
thrown  his  life  away  ;  that  he  had  incurred  an  unwar- 
rantable amount  of  danger  for  no  corresponding  ad- 
vantage. We  are  all  prone  to  be  wise  after  the  event. 
We  can  all  see  now  that  he  placed  his  head  within  the 
very  jaws  of  the  lion.  We  can  all  give  a  score  of  ex- 
cellent reasons  why  his  journey  should  never  have  been 
attempted  at  all.  But  then  we  are  in  possession  of  in- 
formation which  was  not  in  the  hands  of  either  Bishop 
Hannington  or  his  advisers.  Sir  John  Kirk,  than  whom 
no  living  man  has  had  a  larger  experience  of  Africans, 
and  missionaries  who  had  spent  many  years  in  dealing 
with  the  natives,  concurred  with  the  Bishop  in  his  opin- 
ion that  the  only  danger  to  be  apprehended  was  from 
the  wild  and  turbulent  Masai  tribes.  These  once  passed, 
the  success  of  the  journey  would  be,  they  thought,  as- 
sured. Against  this  danger  the  Bishop  made  prepa- 
ration by  thoroughly  studying  the  manners  and  customs 
of  these  people  ;  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  they 
would  prove  troublesome  rather  than  dangerous,  if  met 
in  a  friendly  spirit ;  and  that  he  was  not  wrong  in  this 
estimate  of  the  perils  of  the  way  has  been  abundantly 
shown,  both  by  his  own  quick  upward  progress,  and  by 
Mr.  Jones'  safe  return  with  the  shattered  remnants  of 
the  originally  small  caravan. 

And  even  had  the  peril  been  greater  than  the  Bishop 
and  his  advisers  thought  it  to  be,  he  would  not  have 
hesitated  to  incur  it,  if  he  might  thereby  have  conferred 
a  great  and  lasting  benefit  upon  the  Church  of  Central 
Africa.  The  lower  road  to  the  Lake  is  not  only  circuit- 
ous and  difficult,  but  has  dangers  of  its  own  which  are 
more  to  be  feared  than  the  spear  of  the  Masai.  Bishop 
Hannington  could  not  contemplate  with  equanimity  the 
inevitable  sufferings  and  probable  death  of  those  who, 


yEt.  38.]  Estimate  of  his   Work.  469 

like  himself  two  years  before,  were  bound  to  fight  the 
spectral  army  of  disease  which  barred  the  way  into  the 
far  interior.  He  thought  it  worth  while  to  incur  some 
risk  in  order  that  he  might  in  his  own  person  prove  or 
disprove  the  practicability  of  the  short  and  healthy  road 
to  U-Ganda.  But  for  the  stupid  ignorance  and  short- 
sighted greed  of  the  boy-successor  of  the  great  Mtesa, 
he  would  in  all  human  probability  be  now  hailed  as  the 
successful  explorer  who  by  one  bold  stroke  had  saved 
to  the  pioneers  of  Christian  Civilization  many  thousands 
of  money  and  many  invaluable  lives. 

In  these  days  of  advanced  civilization,  when  so  much 
painful  forethought  is  expended  upon  the  upbringing  of 
a  single  man,  it  is  not  unnatural  that  we  should  have 
formed  a  high  opinion  of  the  value  of  life.  It  seems  to 
us  a  pitiful  thing  that  the  masterpiece  which  has  been 
turned  out  as  the  result  of  long  years  of  patient  and 
costly  toil  should  be  shattered — dashed  into  fragments 
in  a  moment.  We  are  inclined  to  be  impatient  with  the 
man  who  unduly  exposes  himself  to  danger ;  and  the 
word  "  rash  "  carries  with  it  a  sense  of  opprobrium  un- 
known to  our  courage-loving  ancestors. 

It  is  of  course  impossible  that  we  should  value  life 
too  highly  ;  but  is  there  no  danger  lest  we  should  value 
life  too  much? — too  much  as  mere  living 2  A  life  is  not 
always  "thrown  away"  when  it  is  poured  out — poured 
out  as  was  the  water  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem  at  the 
feet  of  the  great  king ;  otherwise  the  costly  missile  from 
the  great  piece  of  ordnance  would  be  "thrown  away" 
when,  in  breaking  down  the  wall  of  the  enemies'  fortress, 
it  is  broken  itself. 

And  what  did  he  achieve,  this  martyr-bishop  of  the 
modern  Church  ?  He  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
eight.     He  had  not  time  to  do  many  things,  and  yet  we 


470  James  Hannington.  [A.D.  1885, 

may  truly  say  that  he  did  much.  Not  to  mention  the 
deep  impress  of  his  own  personality  which  he  has  left 
upon  those  who  were  brought  into  close  contact  with 
him,  he  has  given  to  the  Mission  in  East  Africa  an  im- 
pulse of  which  we  may  confidently  expect  that  it  will 
not  lose  the  momentum.  He  has  completed  the  circle 
of  that  great  ring  of  Christian  stations  of  which  the 
signet  stone  is  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  and,  in  joining  the 
two  ends,  has  welded  them  together  with  his  death. 

When  the  present  panic  has  subsided,  and  the  chiefs 
of  the  Nyanza  States  have  learned  to  regard  their  white 
teachers  as  their  truest  friends — and  it  is  a  safe  prophecy 
to  predict  that  this  will  be  the  case  before  many  years 
have  passed — then  the  messengers  of  the  Church  will 
make  their  way  to  the  furthest  outpost  of  her  dominions 
along  the  healthy  upland  stretches  of  that  Northern 
route.  They  will  then  remember  whose  feet  first  trod 
that  path  for  Christ.  It  may  be  that  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  a  memorial  cross  will  mark  the  spot  where 
the  brave  Bishop  fell,  and  that  native  Christians  from 
U-Ganda  will  take  their  children  there  to  point  out  to 
them  the  hallowed  ground  on  which  a  martyr  died. 

To  us  he  has  bequeathed  the  priceless  legacy  of  a  de- 
voted life.  His  splendid  example  will  not  have  been  set 
before  this  generation  in  vain.  As  he  himself  was  stirred 
by  the  early  and  violent  death  which  closed  the  faithful 
labors  of  Shergold  Smith  and  O'Neill,  so  we  are  per- 
suaded that  others  will  be  stirred  by  the  recital  of  his 
gallant  attempt,  and  his  fall  on  the  very  ramparts  of  the 
fortress,  to  step  forward  and  uplift  the  banner  that  has 
dropped  from  his  dying  hands. 

As  for  him,  we  commit  him  to  the  Lord,  in  whom  he 
trusted.  He  shall  not  be  confounded.  What  if  his  busy 
hands  and  feet,  torn  from  his  body,  now  rattle  in  the 


^t.  38.]  One  of  Christ" s  Martyrs.  471 

wind  above  the  gateway  of  some  savage  town  !  What 
if  the  bleaching  skull,  wherein  once  his  active  brain 
wrought  for  the  good  of  all,  now  hangs  like  a  beacon 
from  the  leafless  arm  of  some  withered  tree  !  He  would 
have  been  the  first  to  tell  us  that  no  such  things  could 
affect  his  life.  For  that  was  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
The  world  is  his  tomb.  Somewhere  upon  its  circum- 
ference lie  his  mortal  parts.  Wherever  that  may  be  we 
know  that  his  sleep  is  sweet.     Obdormivit  in  Christo. 

His  last  words  to  his  friends  in  England — words  scrib- 
bled by  the  light  of  some  camp-fire — were  : 

"  If  this  is  the  last  chapter  of  my  earthly  history,  then 
the  next  will  be  the  first  page  of  the  heavenly — no  blots 
and  smudges,  no  incoherence,  but  sweet  converse  in  the 
presence  of  the  Lamb  !  " 

There,  then,  in  that  blessed  Presence,  we  may  leave 
him,  only  asking  for  ourselves  that  which  it  was  granted 
to  him  so  abundantly  to  enjoy — 

"  That  blessed  mood 
In  which  the  burden  of  the  mystery, 
In  which  tiie  heavy  and  the  weary  weight 
Of  all  this  unintelligible  world. 
Is  lightened." 


THE    END. 


EASTERN    CENTRAL     AFRICA 


Churcl   Miss  onary   *itaitO 


T  1012  01024  5951 


